When He Was Peter Pan
by Austin and Ally Go 1 Direction
Summary: It had been 7 years since Austin had left Neverlandand and was heartbroken. 17 years since he and Wendy had first flown away. Now, he is a normal senior high school student, hiding his past behind the mask of a popular Bad Boy. He thought that he had finally managed to hide his secrets, until Ally came along, and showed him that he still could love.(Don't own Austin and Ally)
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, hey everbody. I'm still working on my other Austin and Ally and Percy Jackson fanfic, but I had this idea, and I had to get it out. Please don't be mad at me, but I really hope you like this tory, because I love it. Please read and review :)**

**Austin**

Austin laughed as one of his 'friends' made a crude remark at a passing cheerleader. She over-heard, but instead of getting offended, she turned around, flicking her hair, and winking flirtatiously at Austin. His friends whistled, and he gave her a cocky smirk back.

Of course, he would never dream of acting on those intentions.

Despite his reputation of being the local Bad Boy, and sleeping with half of the female population, he'd never even think of doing something like that. It was all a facade. A mask, to hide his past.

The truth was, despite looking like a normal senior, he technically was twenty seven. He never told anyone that though. To them, he was just cool Austin Moon, Bad Boy who had moved in seven years ago in fifth grade when he 'moved' here. He told everyone that he lived with his 24/7 hung-over Aunt in a runned-down apartment.

He actually had been living by himself for the past seven years, living off Wendy's secret stash of money that she had told him about, before she had betrayed him and died. The flash of her memory seared his brain, and he pushed it away, with all the other secrets about his past.

"Dude, you cool?" Dallas snapped Austin out of his painful memories.

"Cool dude, just tired. Can't wait for the weekend," He responded with the normal. Before he had left, seventeen years ago, he had been known as the nerd. He had always been picked on when he was at school. So that was why, when he had 'returned' seven years ago, he had immediately made himself popular. No point in repeating the past.

"You guys hitting Cassidy's tonight?" His only real friends Dez asked. Dez was his only real friend for two reasons. One, he was the only one whom Austin could act like his old self around. Dez didn't know about his past, but Austin at least didn't have to keep up the facade around him.

Second, Austin remembered Dez from before his life turned upside down. He was Wendy's little brother Michael's best friend. They had both been new-born when he and Wendy had literally flown away.

_Stop thinking about her._

"Yea, I wanna go to the mall first though. I need some new sneakers," Austin told his friends.

"Are you sure you aren't just going to hit the new Pancake Shack?" Elliot teased.

"Well, might as well eat while I'm there," he mumbled, and they all laughed. Everyone knew about Austin's unusual love of pancakes.

"Whatever, dude. Don't take long though, we're thinking of going to see the new movie. You know, the Peter Pan re-make? I heard it's supposed to be awesome. The actress who plays Wendy is smoking hot," Elliot nudged him. Austin tried to roll his eyes, but he was caught in his thoughts again.

They were really making another movie about him? Why weren't people getting tired of his story? And it didn't help that none of the films told the whole story. They made Wendy out as some angel. She had definitely _not _had been an angel.

"Whatevs," Austin managed to get out, just as the bell rang, signalling the end of lunch. He grabbed his books, before stalking into the only class he was good at. AP music.

"Take a seat, and settle down. I have to finish telling you about your new project, before you can get started," The teacher, Ms. Bennet, hushed everyone.

The class was actually fairly small, no surprise. Sixteen students total. In actuality, evreyone in the school had tried out for AP music. The only problem was that Ms. Bennet only accepted the top students into her class. The result had been a tiny class full of musical prodigy's, and several overflowing classes of musical wannabe's.

"You're being paired up with a partner for the rest of term. They will be your music buddy, and you will be expected to know that person, better than you know yourself."

Yeah, not going to happen. Even Dez didn't know about Austin, and Tink, and Neverland. Those were secrets that he had let die with the persona he had created - Peter Pan.

"And you will be expected to write several songs to describe eachother. they will be performed, and the top three will get full scolarships to Julliard."

Okay, that interested Austin. He had actually been doing pretty good till now. He had a small job, now that he was seventeen, and Wendy's money had always been enough. But if he got a scholarship to Julliard, and got famous, he would never have to worry again.

"Oh, and I've picked your partners," Ms. Bennet finished her speech, as everyone groaned. Forget that idea. If Austin was paired up with some stranger, a scholarship could wait.

He listened as Ms. Bennet listed the pairs. His name was last, followed by one that surprised him.

"Austin Moon, and Ally Dawson."

His head snapped up in surprise. Ally was a shy girl, who sat in the back corner the entire music class, scribbling in a little brown diary. He had never once seen her play an instrument, and he always wondered how she had even gotten into this class.

As Ally moved to the desk beside him, the other girls shot her venemous looks. He couldn't help but chuckle at the affect he had on all the ditsy girls at his school. All gorls wanted to date him, all boys wanted to be him. He was everything that he wasn't before he had ran away.

Ally took her seat, not even making eye contact with him, before going back to scribbling. He had to admit, she was intriguing. But mostly because she was one of the few girls in the school who didn't throw herself at him.

As Ms. Bennet took a seat, Austin had a flashback. They had been happening less frequently as he grew up, but he still wasn't immune to them. His entire body clenched as memories flew before his eyes.

_"__Hello, I'm Wendy. Mrs. Matheson said you're my partner," The beautiful blonde-headed girl looked up at him with her blue glass eyes._

_"Ok, I'm Austin, and I wasn't listening, so what are we supposed to do?" Her giggle made chimes sound bad._

_"Learn about eachother. I'm new. My family and I just moved from England, and I don't have any friends." She whispered the last part sadly. Austin looked past his favourite book for a moment._

_"You can be my friend," He smiled, and she mirrored him. _

_"What are you reading?"_

_"Narnia, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe," He pronounced each word carefully. They were only in grade three at the time, and it was quite a difficult book for him. But he loved it, and he read it in his spare time._

_"I've never read it," She shrugged her petite shoulders._

_"You should. My favourite character is Peter. He's so brave and smart. I'm never going to grow up, and I'm going to be just like Peter some day." He told her confidently._

_"Ok, _Peter,_" She laughed again, emphasizing the name Peter. He liked it when she called him Peter. Much better tha plain old Austin._

_"Friends?"_

_"Best-friends," She whispered._

He came back with a sudden urge to cry. He immediatley pushed it away. The way Ally sat, alone and without friends, reminded him so much about Wendy. He shook his head. He needed to get this over with.

"S'up?" He kept his voice even. He slouched in his chair, a Bad Boy trait that he had accumulated over the years.

"The sky," She replied without even looking up.

"Haha," He deadpanned. Though she was still not looking at him, a tiny smile played upon her lips. He still found it fascinating that she could resist him. Not that he was narcassistic, but he was _hot. _Like, _hot _hot. He finally couldn't take it anymore.

"Do you even play any instruments?" He blurted. Her pencil paused on the paper. For the first time, she looked up at him with big brown eyes. Hair fell into her face, but he could still see the innocence in her.

She smirked. "Hmm, I wonder. I am in AP music. What do you think?" She asked him. And although she tried, she just didn't put the sarcasm into her words. She was just too nice to do that.

He held up his hands, Bad Boy style. "Well, so-orry. But I have never once seen you play anything."

For a second, terror and pain filled her eyes, and Austin had to suppress memories of the night Wendy had told him she had to go to bording school. Of the night her parents wanted her to grow up, and deal with reality. That was th night that they had left together.

He squeezed his eyes shut at the memory, but Ally just shook her head ferverently, not even noticing.

"You'll never see me play," She whispered, going back to writing in her book. This was going to be a long term.

"Well, you do realize that we're going to have to play music for eachother, if you want to get an A on this project," He coyly said. Just as he planned, she shut her book. She was a straight A student. That definitley got her attention.

"Well are you planning to tell me about yourself, or are you simply going to pry into my life?" She batted her eyelashes innocently at him. He stayed silent.

The truth was, he and his best friend Wendy had ran away seventeen years ago, when thy had turned ten. Wendy's parents had felt she was still acting too childishly for her age, and were planning on sending her to a boarding school.

That night, they had ran until their tiny feet hurt, and their town was long behind them. They had ran and ran and ran till they were greeted by the edge of the ocean. There, holding hands, they had fallen onto the sand and wept. Wept, because they could go no farther. Wept, because they had to grow up and had to leave eachother.

And as they cried, the craziest of things happened. Tink had found them. She was a fairy, no bigger than Austin's finger, but she had been worried by the sound of weeping.

As the night progressed, Austin had held Wendy near, as he relayed their story to her. Then, Tink told them that she could take them to a place, where they would never grow up. A place where they could live as ten year olds forever.

And so she had taught them to fly, and taken them to Neverland.

For ten years, they stayed ten, having adventures with Tink, and pirates, and mermaids, and indians. For ten years, Austin's life was perfect. Then Wendy had started to change.

She had began to wish for the things grown-ups had. Austin couldn't undertand why. They had argued, her wanting to return, him wanting to saty as a child forever. Tink had tried to calm Wendy down, but Wendy just blamed her for bringing them there in the first place, before running off.

Tink had gone missing after that, and when Austin had found them, he was greeted with the memory that still haunted him to this day. Wendy had trapped Tink in a cage, but it was the look on Wendy's face that scared Austin.

The girl whom he had fallen in love with was gone. No sign of her remained. Instead, the cold hard look of an adult replaced those lively eyes.

And there, in front of Austin, she had said the five words that neither of them dared mutter.

That she didn't believe in fairy's.

Almost immediately, Austin had watched as his only other friend, Tink, died. Her glow faded, and by the time he had screamed, and opened the cage, she was nothing more than a dead body. He had turned to Wendy with tears down his face, but she had simply walked up and slapped him.

"Grow up, Austin."

She had hissed those three words, and they shattered him inside. Long gone was the Wendy he had known. And he had watched, tears streaming down his swollen cheek, Tink's lifeless body in his hands, as Wendy flew away. And tried to return to the mainland.

But she didn't know that you had to believe to fly. And so he had watched, as she got farther out to sea, before she fell from the sky. He watched her as she begged for help. He had watched her drown. And that day, he had sworn to himself never to fall in love with anyone, ever again.

He left Neverland that day, returning to the reality he hated. He found a stash of money Wendy had hidden ten years before, and used it to get himself settled. The rest was simple after that.

Somehow, Disney got a hold of his story, and made it huge. Everyone believed in Peter Pan and fairy's. Everyone wanted to go to Neverland. But it was all too late. Too late to save the one fairy who had rescued him.

Life was different when he came back. He never found his parents again, although he didn't want to see them. He made a mask to hide behind when he was at school, and he never got close to anyone. Ever.

And now here he was, expected to tell that to this complete stranger. Ally was nice, but she would never understand who he was. She'd probably think he was crazy, believing that he was _The _Peter Pan. He was, but he didn't want to remember that.

She couldn't know. No one could. Ever. It was a promise that he had made to himself the day he left Neverland. No one would ever know the truth. And he would never let himself get to know anyone, ever again. He wouldn't be able to survive if he met another 'Wendy.'

He'd just have to pass up the scholarship. Not like Ally seemed to care a whole lot about it anyways. She was just sitting there scribbling in her book.

The bell rang, and Austin jumped with surprise. Had he really been daydreaming that entire time? He shook his head, locking away those thoughts. As he went to stand up, he was surprised to fell a petite hand on his arm.

"Um," Ally fidgeted nervously, seeming to realize that she had just stopped the most popular guy in school. She swallowed and composed herself.

"We're going to have to work on the project at some point," She whispered, as though scared. Inside, Austin panicked, but on the outside, he just quirked an eyebrow.

"Whatev's, Nerd."

Ally's face saddened, and Austin wanted to take it back. For the first time in seven years, he heard a voice in the back of his head.

_Now she's going to go cry Austin, _The Peter part of him whispered. He jolted in shock. He had locked Peter up long ago.

"Fine," She muttered, before brushing past him. Great. He was a jerk. He drooped his head, before hearing a squeal turn his way. He looked up, knowing who it was already, and sure enough, running down the hall in stilletto heels was none other than Tilly, Brooke, and Cassidy.

Cassidy was the head cheerleader, and had slept with every boy that went to their school. Well, _almost _every boy. It killed her that she hadn't got Austin yet. She was pretty, but reminded him too much of Wendy, with her dirty-blonde hair, and peircing blue eyes.

Tilly and Brooke were her best friends. Tilly, was slightly crazy in his opinion, but Brooke was fairly nice. All three had the school drooling on them, and all three were drooling over him. He inwardly rolled his eyes, but he hung out with them to keep up the popular Bad Boy look.

"Hey girls," He smirked cockily. Their smiles widened.

"You coming to my place tonight?" Cassidy asked. She batted her eyelashes at him, and he suppressed a groan.

"Yup," He said nonchalantly, popping the 'p'. Cassidy giggled.

"Ok, we're going to have so much fun!" She squealed. Austin kindly puched past her and her minions.

"Cool. I have to go to the mall first. I'll see you guys in a bit," He made his escape. He could hear them whine, but he didn't even look back. Instead, he went out to his car. He had bought it when he had turned sixteen, and even though it depleted the savings, it was worth it.

It wasn't that new, but it was in good condition. He cranked the music up loud, the noise numbing his brain. He didn't know what to do about Ally. He was her partner for the rest of term, but now she probably wouldn't even speak to him, ever again. Not that he cared, but he didn't want to seem like a jerk to her. She just remended his so much of Wendy.

Before he pulled out of the lot, he rubbed his eyes. Everything reminded him of Wendy and Neverland these days. He tried so hard to hide those memories, but it was almost like they wanted out. He especially hated all those Peter Pan movies. They never got anything right, and all they brought out were saddness to him.

He shook his head, and drove off. He had to do something soon, before his painful thoughts overwhelmed him. He parked when he got to the mall, hopping out and locking his car.

The mall was huge, and a safehaven to Austin. When he was little, he remembered his mom taking him here. Of course, the mall had changed considerably over the past twenty years, but some stuff stayed the same.

He recognized the fountain, and the food court. New stores replaced the old ones, but everything was still familiar.

He wandered aimlessly for a bit. Smiling at girls who winked at him. He liked the popular life. It was much better than who he was before. Nerd. Geek. Loser. He even used to wear glasses, but his eyes got better when he was in Neverland. That place made everything better.

He knew the look in Ally's eyes when he called her a nerd. It was the same look he got every single time he was called one. He felt horrible now, but there was nothing he could do. Old Austin would have never even dreamed of calling someon a nerd. Peter was never that mean. But the new Austin was a Bad Boy. To him, it was an everyday occurance.

He stopped at a shoe store, deciding that he really did need new runners. The lady behind the counter flirted with him, and like how he had seen other Bad Boy's do, he flirted back. As she left to find some converse for him, he rolled his eyes.

He slid the classic red converse onto his feet. They fit perfectly, and went well with his black skinny jeans. When he was little, his family could never afford shoes like these. He always wore old brown hand-me-downs.

Another painful memory that he tried to shove aside, but it was too late, the flashback had already enveloped him.

_"__Mommy, can we get that book?"_

_His mother smiled at him. "Are you sure that's what you want for your present, Austin? You could maybe get yourself a real toy truck," His mother offered kindly. The six year old Austin shook his head. It was his one year present. He never got anything else through the year, they were too poor. But today, he was allowed to pretend to be a normal child with his mother. Shopping for a present._

_"I want that book mommy." He told her confidently. His mom just sighed._

_"Ok, pancake, let's go buy you that book."_

_She grabbed his hand, and they skipped into the store together. She took the book off the shelf, read the back, and told Austin what it was about._

_"I like the name Peter," He decided. "I want that book please."_

_His mom smiled. "I like the name Peter too. C'mon, let's go," She said as she paid for the five dollar paperback._

Austin shook his head. Why was he having another flashback? He quickly paid for the sneakers. He walked back to his ride, and tossed them in the back. As he turned around, he couldn't help but reflect on his flashback.

His entire life, his parents had been poor. they had loved him, but he never got anything new. He never knew what it was like to go on 'shopping sprees.' He wondered what his parents were doing now. They no doubt had moved away from Miami. No point to stay.

He did the calculations in his head. his mom would be forty-seven, and his dad almost forty-eight. When he had left, they had been thirty and thirty-two. He didn't even know if he would recognize them anymore.

He sighed, and walked into the nearest store. Immediatley his thoughts floated away, as he saw the musical instruments everywhere. He loved music. Tink had taught him to play every single instrument. He smiled at the sad memory.

He ran his fingers gently over the piano keys, his fingers caressing the delicate ivory. He turned to the guitar rack, and immediatley saw what he wanted. A beautifully carved fender. He took it off the shelf.

He had two of these already, but another couldn't hurt. Besides, this guitar was beckoning to him. He strummed it, and right away fell in love with the perfect tones the acoustic base emitted. Smiling, he took the guitar to the counter.

The girl there wasn't paying any attention, scribbling away on something. He cleared his throat to get her attention.

As though an invisible button had been pushed, she slammed her book shut, springing in front of the cash register, typing at the keys, not even looking up.

"Welcome to Sonic Boom. How may I help you?" She asked politely. Austin's eyes widened in recognition.

"Ally?"

The girl looked up, her big brown eyes filling with surprise. She stopped typing a price in, her jaw hanging slightly ajar.

"Um, Austin?"

"Er, yeah," He said awkwardly. He showed her the guitar. "How much?"

She hesitated for a second. "It's two thousand dollars-" Austin groaned. He didn't want to blow that much. "But I'll give it to you for free."

He stared at her curiously. Did he just hear her right? Did she say that she'll give it to him for free? There had to be a catch.

"If..." He proded. She looked at the ground.

"You'll work on the project with me enough, so that I can get that scholarship," She whispered.

"Done," He said right away. She looked up suspisciously.

"Done? You're not going to try and changed it?" She narrowed her eyes. Austin sighed.

"Look, Ally, I've been meaning to apologize for being a jerk earlier. Truth is, I need this scholarship, just as much as you," He admitted.

"So you'll work with me to finish it?" She asked hopefully. Austin smiled.

"Yeah, it could be fun."

"Thank you!" She squealed, jumping up and down. Austin chuckled. She was really adorable when she was excited. "The guitar's yours." She added as an after thought.

"Really?"

"Yeah," She shrugged her shoulders. "Besides, if we get this scholarship, we'll be even. It's a deal."

"Deal," Austin laughed. He did something that he hardly ever did. He took her pen that she had been writing with in her book, grabbed her arm, and wrote his number on it.

"That's my cell. When you get a chance, just text me, and i'll save your number into my contacts."

"Ok," She stared at her arm, as thought the concept was foreign to her.

"I should run," He finally admitted, looking at the time. Had he really wasted an hour in here already? Crazy. He picked up the guitar and walked out of the store. When he got to the door, he turned around to wave at Ally, but she was already back to her book.

Austin wondered what was in it. She guarded it with her life, and had been writing in it since Austin had come back. In eighth grade, a kid named Jayce had picked up her book in English. Let's just say, he's still jumpy to this day.

Austin sighed. It was seven o'clock. He got in his car, and drove off in the direction of Cassidy's, even though it was the last place he wanted to go to. Leaving his guitar with his shoes in the car, he knocked on her door. It flew open, as thought she had been waiting for him to knock. Knowing her, she probably had.

"Austie!" She squealed, grabbing his hand and pulling him inside. "What took you so long? We're about to start the movie."

"Oh, yay," He muttered sarcastically. Either she didn't pick up on it, or she ignored it.

"Yo Austin! What took you so long bro?" Dez looked up from his bowl of popcorn as they entered the movie room. Dez and Brooke were sitting on the couch, Dallas and Tilly were making out on a bean-bag chair. Elliot was texting from his arm chair.

"Sorry, got held up in the mall," Austin lied. They shrugged him off, as Dez pushed play on the DVD machine.

"Over here, Austie!" Cassidy ordered, as she pushed him onto a love seat. He leaned back, and she scootched in close. Austin rolled his eyed, but for the sake of his rep, he let her cling to his side.

He tried to zone out during the movie, which was hard. He kept on comparing their version of it, with what really happened. Like, seriously? Austin never once wore green tights when he was in neverland. And the last he checked, he was blonde, not a red-head.

The plot was typical. Apparently, Austin had lost his shadow in Wendy's room, and had awoken her trying to get it. Then, they flew off to Neverland, because they loved eachother. That part was true. The only reason Austin left with Wendy was because he loved her so much, that he could feel her pain.

Then they had some adventures, and in the end, they both lived happily ever after in Neverland.

He scoffed. As if.

He closed his eyes as Peter and Wendy kissed on screen. Bad idea. Next thing he knew, he was stuck in a flashback.

_"I can't go any farther Austin," Wendy cried from behind him. Austin stopped, never letting go of her hand. They had made it to the beach, but they could go no farther. They collapsed on the sand._

_"I don't want to loose you," He cried freely. She nodded._

_"I don't want to grow up. I don't want to leave. I love you Austin," She whispered. His ten year old heart felt broken._

_"I love you too Wendy," He turned and kissed her. Her delicate lips were warm and soft. Salty from the tears which coated both of their faces. They pulled away, crying and hugging._

_"I promise we'll never grow up. We'll stay together forever," Austin whispered into her perfect gold locks._

_"We'll stay young forever," Wendy agreed. And they had stayed like that for hours. Stiff, but never moving. As the stars began to fade, a certain stare became brighter. Austin squinted from where he was._

_"Do you see that, Wendy?" _

_"The star, right?" She asked in her scared english accent. Austin nodded. They both watched in fear and fascination as it came closer, till they could make out a little pixie form in the light._

_"It's a fairy!" Austin whispered with wide eyes. She tinkled in reply._

_"Can you help us?" Wendy whimpered. The fairy spoke in their minds._

_"I'm Tink. What are you children doing out here?" Her voice caressed them. Slowly, the two relayed their story to the listening fairy._

_"And so, we ran away," Austin finished, wiping his runny nose._

_"Won't your families miss you?" Tink asked. Austin hadn't thought about that. But Wendy answered for him._

_"No. They don't want us. They were going to send me to a boarding school to grow up," She muttered. Austin squeezed her hand._

_"And you don't want to grow up? Ever?" Tink raised her eyebrow. The two children nodded. Tink turned to Wendy._

_"You asked if I could help you, child. And I can. But where I'm going to take you is a place off limits to grown-ups. Imagination rules everything. Only children can find there way there. Only children can stay."_

_"You'll take us?" Austin asked, suddenly filled with hope. They wouldn't have to be seperated after all._

_Tink nodded solemnly. "But if I take you there, you will never get older. You'll stay ten forever."_

_"That's what we want!" They said in sync. Little did Austin know how much Wendy would change in years to come._

_So, Tink had taught them the secret to flight. And as the first rays of sun began to peak over the horizon, they had left. For real. They flew over the ocean, Tink leading the way, using the second star on the right as a guide. By the time they spotted Neverland, it was morning._

_Tink had showed them Pixie hollow, and the fairy's helped build Austin and Wendy a hollow tree of their own. Austin turned to Wendy a smile on their faces._

_"Together forever. Right Austin?" Wendy hugged him. He pulled away._

_"I'm not Austin while we're here in Neverland," He said solemnly._

_"What's your name then?" Wendy played along. He thought for a moment._

_"Peter," He decided._

_"Like from your favourite book?" Wendy smiled. "It suits you. Here, we'll be brave and smart and young forever. Peter and Wendy."_

_"Yea," Austin let a smile creep onto his face as he wrapped his arms around her again. He felt happy. And he smiled as he whispered with a new determination._

_"My name is Peter Pan."_


	2. Chapter 2

**Ally**

Ally wanted to cry.

The only problem - she had ran out of tears. For the entire weekend, she had sat in her room and cried. Now it was Monday morning. She knew that she should be getting ready for school, but she was sore all over. Her new bruises were a wicked black colour.

Ally knew that she didn't have that bad of a life. She had gotten several scholarships (everyone the school offered except for the music one unfortunately) and had a roof over her head, and a place to work. Everything was falling into place.

Sure her dad hit her when he was drunk, but he was only drunk half of the time. The other half of the time, he was actually pleasant to be around. He had given her Sonic Boom to run, and let her keep all the money she made. He provided food, and always payed the bills. Her life wasn't that bad.

Like, her mom _had _died, and her dad had become a drunk, but Ally could understand. It was why she accepted the beatings from her father without a word. Ally's mom had been perfect, unlike her daughter. Ally should have been the one to die in the car crash, not her mom.

She pushed away those feelings. Best to keep them bottled up. She looked at the time, and bolted out of bed. No matter how badly her heart wanted to skip school, her nerdy little brain wouldn't let her. She sighed. This year she was suppossed to get the schoalrship to the music school. She had been planning on it since her mom had died, and she was left with it being her only option. And then Ms. Bennet had to go and partner her with Austin Moon.

Now, Ally didn't hate people. But she hated when people acted like they were superior, just because they were gorgeous, had perfect blonde hair, a lean, tanned body, big brown eyes... She shook her head. She'd admit it. Ally had always thought Austin was cute. Ever since he had moved in seven years ago. But then she discovered what a jerk he was, and unlike all the other girls who were drawn to him more, she drifted away in distaste.

Slipping into a floral skirt, red shirt, and jean vest, Ally made her way to her makeup stand. She never wore any makeup, but the stand was filled with bottles of coverup. She applied it generously to the black and red welts on her arms. The fresh ones still stung, and she bit back a wince. As she rubbed the coverup onto her left arm, she realized that Austin's number was still visible. With her crazy weekend, she had forgotten to call him.

She sighed and moved onto her face. Her skin was bleached white, almost deathly looking. It made the black circles under her eyes, and the black bruise on her cheek stand out. Sighing, she used alot of coverup.

Satisfied that nothing was visible, Ally grabbed her songbook, book bag, and shoes before running down stairs. Her dad was passed out on the couch. Grabbing a banana from the counter, she left throught the front door. She hardly ate anything these days. Last month some guys called her fat, right to her face. As much as Ally hadn't wanted to believe it, her body was making sure that it would never happen again.

She walked to school, and as though on cue, before she arrived, a blue sports car pulled up beside her. Cassidy stuck her head out the window. Tilly and Brooke were in the back seats.

"Hey nerd, ever heard of clothes that didn't bring out your fat?" They laughed. Ally suppressed tears and kept walking. Why were people such bullies?

"Wow, are you deaf as well as ugly? Deaf and dumb, literally," Cassidy laughed. The next thing Ally knew, she was drenched in water. Tilly laughed.

"Well, at least that helps a bit," She squealed as they drove off. Ally sighed. That was actually a regular occurance. She took off her vest and wrung it out before heading into the school.

Marino High was like any other high school in the United States. Mean teachers, dull classes, and strict cliches. Ally was the only person who didn't fit into a cliche. There were the populars, the jocks, the nerds, the geeks. Drama crew, book club, band kids, and cheerleaders. A classic mix of students.

Ally made her way down the twisting halls. Most kids shot her disgusted looks, and snickered at her. She was used to being bullied. A couple of nerds shot her sympathetic glances.

"Hey Ally!" A short Latina girl with a mass of black curls, came bouncing up to Ally. She smiled. Trish was Ally's childhood friend, and also Ally's only current friend. Trish could have easily been popular. She dressed loud, voiced her opinions, and over-all, scared kids pantless. She was a good protector for a nerd like Ally.

"Hey Trish," Ally smiled tiredly. "How was your weekend?"

"It was fun. I can tell yours wasn't though. C'mon, spill. What happened? Was it your dad again?" Trish asked concerned. She was the only one in the entire world that knew every secret about Ally Dawson. "And why are you all wet?" She added as an after thought.

Ally sighed. "I owe the honor to Cassidy and her minions. Doused by them before I got to school. As for my weekend, my dad did dish, but nothing that I didn't deserve."

"Ally you gotta stop thinking like that," Trish shook her head. Then she smiled. "So? Are the rumours true?"

"What rumours?" Ally frowned. The last one that had gone on about her wasn't very pleasant. She didn't want to go into detail, but it had to do with half the football team, and her being pregnant. Which did NOT happen.

"That you have to do a major project with Austin Moon!" She squealed. Ally rolled her eyes. Like every other girl at Marino high, Trish was wrapped around Austin's finger.

"Yup, which sucks for me. But we actually saw eachother on Friday, and to my surprise, he said he seriously wants to try for this scholarship. So hopefully it won't be as doomed as I believe."

"Ally stop," Trish grabbed her friends arm. "Think about this. You get to spend quality time with Austin Moon. As in, you get to be with the hottest guy on the planet, by yourself! How are you not excited about this?"

Ally sighed and continued walking. "Am I the only one who sees what a jerk he is? And hello, all he does is tease me like everyone else in this pathetic excuse of a school. One on one time with him is not going to be fun."

"Huh, whatever Ally. But I want all the dish," Trish smirked evilly as they arrived at their lockers. Ally rolled her eyes as she tried but failed to open her locker. The bell rang, and Ally still stood there, still trying to get into her locker as everyone ran to their classes.

"I have to go Ally, I can't get another tardy. See you at lunch?" Trish offered a sad sile. Ally nodded. The only problem with her being in AP courses, was that she and Trish had only two classes together. Gym and Study hall.

The Latina scurried out of sight, and the final bell rang as Ally finally opened her locker. She quickly picked up her Calculus textbook, and her AP english doutang.

Locking her locker, she hurried towards homeroom, five minutes late. The old teacher, Ms. Bell, gave Ally an evil glare as she entered the class.

"Why are you late?" Her voice was like finger nails grinding on a chalkboard. Come to think f it, fingers on a chalkboard was a relieving sound, compared to her voice.

"Locker issues," Ally mumbled as she walked to the back of the class. Some kids snickered as they saw how wet she was. Others hissed the usual names. She avoided Cassidy's evil look as she sat in her seat in the back of the class.

She shrunk into her seat as Ms. Bell handed out interms. The paper fell onto her desk, and she risked a peak at it. Really? 99.8 percent in Calculus? Could Mr. Yukich not have raised her mark by point two percent? She shook her head in dismay.

She quickly scanned the rest of her grades. 97 percent in AP English. 96.7 percent in History. Music at a hundred percent as usual. AP Chemistry at 98.5. Her eyes dropped to her lowest grade. Physical Education. 54 percent.

She sighed and folded the paper up. The bell rang, signalling the end of homeroom. She practically flew into her Calculus class. She was always the first one to arrive, because she didn't like to linger in the halls. That gave people to many opportunities to bully her.

Mr. Yukich wasn't in the class yet. Ally took her seat at the back of the class. She never payed attention. She already knew the course like the back of her hand, due to the summer school she took at night. It allowed her to do what she wanted in class, and still be an exemplary student.

The bell rang, and kids started piling in. Ally took the opportunity to write in her songbook.

Opening the leather book to an old page, Ally stared at the lyrics she had so far. It was far from done, but it was definitely her best song by far. Humming the tune in her head, she read over what she had.

_It's been a really really messed up week_

_Seven days of torture_

_Seven days of bitter_

_And my girlfriend, she cheated on me_

_She's a California dime_

_But it's time for me to quit her_

_La la la_

_Whatever_

_La la la_

_It doesn't matter_

_La la la_

_Oh well_

_La la la_

Ally finished humming. It was her latest music project. The teacher had assigned her to write a song in someone else's point of view. She had originally tried to write as Trish, but it hadn't worked out so well. And before she even realized it, she had written a perfect song from Austin's point of view.

It was more upbeat than anything else Ally had ever written. She normally wrote more depressing songs, because, let's face it, her life was pretty depressing. She had to admit, it was fun pretending to be Austin when she hummed the lyrics.

"What's that?"

Ally slammed her book shut with such a force, that she yelped as she shut her fingers in. She pulled out the already swelling fingers, holding them in her other hand, as she looked beside her to see where the voice had come from.

Cold blue eyes, and perfect dirty blonde hair met her. She groaned inwardly. She had forgotten about the seating arrangements in Math. It was one of her worst classes, because Cassidy and Austin sat beside her. They all shared one table, so Ally was always alot closer to them than she liked.

"Uh-um, duh, er-nothing," She looked away from her eyes.

"Oh really?" She quirked her eyebrows. "Looks like lyrics to me."

Ally swallowed. "Well, it's-um- t-the project for Music. The Point of Veiw o-one."

Cassidy smirked. "You are pitiful. I can't believe I have to share a table with you," She threw Ally a disgusted look. Ally just looked down as Austin blundered to his seat. He sat down between them, and Ally had seen her father in this state enough to recognize it. He was badly hungover.

He dropped his head onto the table, while Cassidy put her head beside his, trying to get a PDA out of him. Ally rolled her eyes in disgust, before moving her book to her lap, and continuing to write in her songbook. She really needed the chorus.

Austin shifted his head, and his blood-shot eyes focused on Ally. He brushed off Cassidy's attempts, and blinked a couple of times before sitting up. He stared at Ally for a bit, but she didn't even notice, she was that absorbed in her music.

"How come you didn't call?" He asked. His words were slightly slurred. He definitely had a hangover.

Ally looked up, terrified as Cassidy's cold eyes glared at her. She couldn't help but feel a little happy that Austin brushed Cassidy off for her. Ally lowered her head before going back to writing.

"I forgot," She mumbled. He frowned.

"Give me your phone."

"What?"

"What?" Ally looked up shocked, and Cassidy mimicked confused. Austin just held his hand out.

"I said," He repeated slowly, "Give me your phone."

Ally complied, and after he looked up her number, he punched it into his own cell. He handed her phone back, and she put it away, avoiding Cassidy's gaze.

Mr. Yukich walked in, and class started. It was boring as usual, so Ally went back to the problem of her song. What would Austin say? She played with lyrics in her head, before realizing the answer was sitting in front of her, trying in vain to do a math problem. He was hungover because he had gotten drunk. And he probably had gotten a drunk at one of those party's he's always the star of.

He'd have a major party, she smiled to herself. Within seconds, lyrics were bouncing within her brain.

_Tonight, Tonight_

_There's a party on the rooftop, Top of the world_

_Tonight, Tonight_

_Dancing on the edge, of the Hollywood sign_

She gave a genuine smile into her book. She could totally picture Austin dancing on the Hollywood sign. Only he would do something that crazy. Finally, it was coming.

"Ally?" She looked up questoningly, the smile instantly dropping from her face. Cassidy was sitting at the front of the class, flirting with Dallas. Austin's brow was crinkled as he stared at his math book.

"Yes?" She asked quietly. Today was pretty good. Because he was hungover, Austin hadn't bullied her at all.

"I don't get it," He mumbled, putting the book on the desk and rubbing his eyes. He looked cute when he did that. Little kid adorable, that is. Never cute cute. Little kid cute. Yeah.

Ally sighed, placing her book on the desk, and leaning over to Austin's math book. She was actually surprised that Austin was in calculus. But then again, so was Cassidy, so the standards must have been pretty low.

"It's a simple trigonomic equation Austin. Weren't you paying attention when the teacher was explaining?" Ally asked, exasperrated.

He shook his head. "You weren't either. You were writing. So how come you get it?" He looked confused. Goodness, how much did he drink last night?

"You must really be hungover to forget that I'm a nerd. I know all this stuff already, remember?" She sighed. He just shook his head. She closed her eyes. Then she took the next five minutes to explain the problem to Austin.

"So, you simply have to use the inverted SIN function, and punch in forty-five. Easy Peasy," She looked over to Austin expectantly. He was scribbling something down on a piece of loose-leaf.

"Austin? Hello, are you listening to me?" She sighed. He looked at her bleary eyed.

"What?"

She rolled her eyes. Let him fail the class. That's his fault. She tried to help him, but he apparently was more interested in scribbling. He paused and showed her the paper.

"I think that will sound good. We won't be able to know for sure until music, and I can get my hands on a guitar, but I think it'll do. I normally can't write lyrics, but this hangover ought to be good for something," He grumbled.

Ally stared at him for a second. Then she took the crumpled piece of paper he held in his hands. As she read over the lyrics, she realized that her book had been moved so Austin could read her writing. At first she was angry that he touched her book, but that faded as she read over the lyrics he had written out.

_I don't know if I'll make it_

_But watch out girl, I'll fake it_

_It's alright, alright, tonight, tonight_

It was short, but it was a perfect ending to her chorus. She stared at Austin in awe.

"Normally I'd be mad at you for touching my book," She started, and he visibly winced. Everyone knew not to touch her book, "But these lyrics are so amazing I'll forgive you."

"Really?" His bleary eyes perked up. "Not another Jayce incident?"

She laughed and shook her head. "But only this once," She warned, cocking an eyebrow. He sat up straighter and smiled. The bell rang, and Ally quietly collected her stuff as Cassidy came skipping back to grab her bag.

"Hey Dork!" She laughed as though it was an inside joke, but her tone suggested otherwise. Hidden malice laced her words. Austin frowned slightly.

"No need to be rude."

Both Cassidy and Ally's jaws dropped. Austin just stared at them like they were crazy.

"You're hungover. I should go," Ally finally muttered.

"For once I agree with the nerd. Get your act together Austin!" She screeched before storming out of the class in her stilettos. Ally had to admit, that was an impressive feat. Austin still looked at Ally like she was crazy.

"Why is she so mean?"

Ally was having trouble processing his words. He was wondering why she was so mean? Him, the BAD BOY thought that Cassidy was being MEAN? Ally figured that his drinks had to be spiked or laced with something. He really was mentally off his rocker today.

"Um, Austin? Why do you care?" She bit her lip as he followed her to her locker. People were giving them strange looks. She couldn't help but agree. It must have been quite the sight, Austin Moon following Ally Dawson around.

"Because I like you," His words jumbled. "You're alot nicer than Wendy."

As soon as he said it, his eyes widened. Ally could have sworn that he hovered in the air for a fraction of a second longer than physically possible. He probably wasn't suppossed to let that slip. The wonders of alcohal.

"Who's Wendy?" She knitted her brow together. But she was manly focusing on what he had said before that. He liked her? Not possible. He was the reason she was so low on the high school food chain. Why would he like her?

"Um, nobody. She's nobody now," His voice turned steely cold. Ally looked up, and there was something about his eyes that told her that he wasn't just rambling like a drunk. He knew what he was saying.

The bell rang, and she started off to AP English. Austin started to follow her, so she stopped and fished in her bag. She turned around, two advil's in her palm. She held them out to him.

"Make sure you take them with water," She warned.

He stared at her confused. She just sighed.

"They're advil. You know, for your hangover? So you can start thinking straight?"

"What makes you think I'm not think straight?"

Ally sighed. "Well for starte-"

She was cut off with the feel of his lips pressed against hers. She supressed the urge to shriek. His lips were warm and soft, giving her butterfly's. Her stupid mind, which was sharp enough to pass physics 12 when she was fifteen, suddenly couldn't figure out what to do.

Some of the kids who were still in the halls stared, shocked. For as long as everyone had known him, Austin Moon had never showed a PDA. Never. He flirted, he teased. But he had never kissed someone. Phones were out immediately.

He pulled away, Ally's lips tingling from the sensation. Her eyes fluttered open, and a blush rose to her cheeks. She couldn't grasp at anything. Austin Moon had just kissed her. Austin Moon. And the scary thing - she liked it.

"Uh-um, that's why you need the advil," She stuttered, flustered. Austin smiled at her slightly. Ally didn't know what to do, so she came up with another excuse. "And you're following me to AP English. A course that you're not enrolled in."

He quirked his eyebrows, taking the advil out of her hands.

"Thanks Ally," He smiled slightly, before walking off down the halls, leaving a flustered Ally to run to class. She arrived just as the bell went off. She scurried to her seat at the back of the class, hoping no one saw her blush.

Austin Moon, and just kissed Ally Dawson.

Faster than lightening, she whipped out her songbook. The teacher was simply droning on about a book that Ally had finished weeks ago. She could aford to not pay attention.

_Dear Diary,_

_Ok, I must be going crazy! Austin Freaking Moon just kissed me. ME. Allison Marie Dawson. Nerd and Loser of Marino High. First, let me explain. He was pretty hungover, which is the only reason I think he kissed me, thankfully. Because if her had kissed me of his own accord, I wouldn't know what to do. He is Austin Moon for crying out loud. Ever since he moved in seven years ago, he was popular. He's like a chick magnet. I don't understand how it's possible for him to look so good. It's like he's blessed. Oh, ad guess what. He also touched you! I know, I'm sorry, but it was worth it. He saw the song that I was writing about him. Er-NOT about him, but in his P.O.V. that is. I would never just write a song about him. That would be weird. Real weird. Unless of course I was writing about how miserable he made my life. And now I am rambling. The point is, the lyrics he came up with were actually pretty good. They were just what I was looking for. But anyways, so yeah. Austin Moon. He helped me with my song. He told me he liked me - WAIT! I forgot to tell you! When we were walking down the halls, I asked him why he was caring about me. He actually told Cassidy off! And anyways, I asked why he cared, and he said it was because he liked me. And apparently I'm alot nicer than someone named Wendy. I don't think there's any Wendy's at our school, but he's probably talking about some slut that he spent the Weekend with, knowing him. It was all very confusing. Then it became even more confusing when Austin kissed me. That's right, Austin Moon stole my first kiss, while he was hungover, and we were walking in the halls. Jerk right? The only problem, is that I liked it. I KNOW! I'm going crazy. I don't know what it is. But when he kissed me, I felt amazing. It was indescribable. But there was definitely something. I doubt he felt it, but now I'm starting to wonder, Am I falling for the Bad Boy, Austin Moon?_

Her head snapped up as some stupid kid, who forgot to put his phone on vibrate, cell went off with an update alert. He groaned and handed the phone to the teacher. As she turned back to the board, the smart kids took a peek at their screens. A couple gasped. The teacher whipped around, glaring at us evilly, before returning reluctantly back to the board.

As soon as she turned away, the kids all stared at Ally with wide eyes. She had never liked being the center of attention. And she already knew what that twitter update had been. None other than the pic of Austin kissing her. Otherwise people wouldn't boher looking at her.

She shrunk in her seat, praying for class to end. As soon as the bell rang, she grabbed her stuff, and bolted out of the class. As she made her way to the cafeteria, she could hear the whispers.

"Oh my goodness, that's the Freak that kissed Austin."

"How desperate looking is she?"

"Slut."

Ally closed her eyes as she walked over to her table in the corner. Trish was already there, and she was chewing her sandwich savagely. As soon as Ally sat down, she started blabbing.

"Ok, spill Dawson! I saw the tweet. How? Where? When? Why?"

Ally sighed, and leaned closer to Trish before talking. "He kissed me, Trish! Not the other way around. He was following me in the halls, so I offered him two advil because he was badly hungover. To the point where he said that he liked me. And then, he, he kissed me!" She blurted.

"Oh my goodness! Austin Moon likes you?" Trish smiled so wide it looked like it hurt.

"NO!" Ally shouted. Then as everyone stared at her, she went back to whispering, "I told you. He was hungover. Not thinking straight."

"You can think that," Trish grumbles, but Ally didn't bother correcting her. Once Trish got an idea in her head, there was no whacking it out. Ally sighed and pulled out her book. As she started reading, her stomach grumbled.

"Forget your lunch, Ally?" Trish asked, "Want my apple?"

Ally's mouth salvitated. She did want that apple. But she couldn't eat anything. She was too fat.

"No thanks Trish. I'm not that hungry." As though trying to prove her wrong, her stomach growled.

"Liar."

"Whatever. I'm gonna go to class," Ally stood up, collecting her things. Her friend shot her a concerned look, but Ally ignored it. She walked through the cafeteria, hundreds of stares following her. she peeked a glance at the popular table.

As usual, they were doing their own thing. Dallas and Austin were flirting, Dez was sitting there like an idiot. But no Cassidy. Ally wondered were that plastic jerk was, when suddenly she bumped into some one.

Oh, there she is.

"Watch it Dawson! I can't believe your nerve! First kissing Austin, then bumping into me!" She screeched. Great. Now she has the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. All of a sudden, it got scary quiet.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Dork?" She hissed. Ally tried not to cry. She took a deep breath, but she was shaking like a leaf. So many people were staring at her. So many people...

"Uh - um, I'm sorry," Her voice was quiet. She gulped. She heard a couple of snickers.

"For being a slut? Apology NOT accepted," Cassidy laughed as though it was all fun and games. Now tears were starting to form in Ally's eyes. Her flashback wasn't helping either.

_"Just the way you are" An eight year old Ally finished singing. She turned to face her audience, but no one clapped. Instead some people snickered._

_"Ha, yeah right! No one would ever like you, just the way you are."_

_"Go home!"_

_"My rat sings better than you!"_

_Ally suddenly awoke from her dream. She looked up, taking in her surroundings. No one was shouting at her. She swallowed. She ran to her father's bedroom, were he was sitting there, drunk._

_"Daddy, I had a nightmare!" She cried. Lester looked over at his daughter._

_"Whatta happens sweet?" His words were slurred. Ally started crying as she told him about her dream. _

_"Well, they said those things in the dream, because they're true! Do me a favour sweet, save my ears. No more music," He smiled at her horrified features. Her father just told her she was no good. She cried more._

_"You think I sound bad dad?"_

_Suddenly, Lester's face turned a dark shade of red. Next thing Ally knew, she ws on the ground, craddling her cheek. It was the first ever that Lester had hit her._

_"No one would like your noise," He muttered before sauntering off. "I suggest that you stay out of the spotlight," His words hazed in her mind._

"Wow. You're pathetic. Aren't you going to say something?" Cassidy's voice brought Ally back to reality.

She put her head down. Tears now flowing freely from her cheeks. She was in the spotlight. People were staring at her. Just like her father said they would.

"Freak!" She laughed. Ally managed a quick glance up, and through the tears she could make out the other's laughter. Only three people in the whole cafeteria weren't laughing. Trish, that Dez boy, and... Austin?

Aaly took another peek at Austin. He wasn't laughing. At least, not in his eyes. He had a weak smile on his lips, every time Dallas or someone nudged him, but he looked sad in his eyes. No humour at all.

Ally shook her head. Gathering all her courage, she brushed past Cassidy. Of course, Cassidy stuck her foot out, and Ally completely bailed. A small cry escaped her lips as she hit the ground hard. She wanted to curl up into a fetal position, but she knew that if she did that, it would only bring more laughter.

"Maybe you wouldn't have fallen so hard if you weren't so FAT!" Cassidy was dying of laughter. "You know, the more mass you have, the faster gravity works!"

Ally struggled to get up. She watched from her postition on the ground as Trish sauntered up to Cassidy. Her head hurt to much to make out what she was saying, but Ally saw Cassidy's face pale. Then she stuck her tongue out at Trish, and returned to the popular table. Trish turned and helped Ally out of the Cafeteria.

Trish took Ally to the steps on the side of the school. Ally was shaking, her skin alot paler than usual.

"T-thanks T-Trish," Ally stuttered, wrapping her arms tighter around herself.

"Ally will yo-"

"Ally!"

Both girls looked up, confused. Ally's eyes almost popped out of her head as Austin Moon came running up to them. Trish shot Ally an I-told-you-so look. Ally simply rolled her eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked. He looked alot better than he had this morning.

Ally nodded.

"Sorry that Cassidy's such a jerk."

She shrugged.

"If you want, I can tell them that I kissed you."

Her eyes nearly popped out of her forhead.

"As a Dare!"

Then she rolled her eyes. Of course.

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

Another shrug.

"Why aren't you talking to me?"

Now Ally sighed. Trish just stepped back and watched their little exchange. "Because, Austin, normally you are the one making fun of me. What has made you change so suddenly?"

This time Austin gulped.

"I mean, you picked on me since you moved in here. Are you gonna deny that fact?"

He shook his head.

"And then today you said you liked me and you STOLE my first kiss."

He nodded hesitantly.

"So either, you're extremely bipolar, or, you're up to something."

He sighed. Trish stared at them amused.

"Ally, look. I didn't know you before Friday. I always make fun of Nerds. That's the only reason you got made fun of. It wasn't like I classified you specifically. You were just in that group. But then I talked to you, and you really remind me of someone who had a major impact on my life. I guess you could just say I'm curious to know what your like compared to her," He muttered, looking at the ground.

"Compared to Wendy?" Ally whispered. Austin's head shot up, and he got a scary look in his eyes. Ally simply held her hands up in surrender.

"You were really hungover this morning."

He winced as though remembering something painful. Ally hoped it wasn't their kiss. Wait, what? Why did she suddenly care? She didn't care! Luckily, before anything else happened, the bell rang for class. Ally and Trish left Austin standing there, but he didn't even notice, he was so caught up in his thoughts.

History was boring as usual. Austin was in this class, but she avoided eye contact with him the entire time. Physical Education was a bust. She was picked last for dodgeball as usual, and she was the first one out. None other that Tilly knocked her out.

By the time music finally came around, Ally was tired, and exhausted. People kept on snickering at her because of the lunch icident, and she had learned a whole load full of colorful names. She slumped in her chair in the back of the class, pulling out her songbook, as others filed in.

Ally wrote out what happened at lunch. It was short and to the point, but it hurt Ally so much. She took a shaky breath and stared at her wrists. They had been carefully covered with make-up, but she could still make out the scars.

If you had asked Ally what she had thought about cutting, before her mom died, she would have given you a long spiel about how horrible it was to damage your own body. But now, well, she had several hideous scars on her wrist. It was her only relief, as ashamed of herself as she was.

"So, you got those lyrics?" Ally jumped several feet in the air as Austin came and sat beside her. She looked at Austin with wide eyes, still feeling the adrenaline.

"Do you realize how much you terrified me?" She hissed. After what had happened this morning and at lunch, she didn't feel like making a big scene. Austin just laughed.

"Sorry. So, before we start working, I was wondering. Could we maybe start over?" His eyes were bigger than a puppy dogs.

Ally bit her lip. Then she nodded. He smiled his thousand watt smile.

"Hi, I'm Austin Moon," He smiled at her. She smiled back.

"Ally Dawson."

"Should we start working on this song, Allison?" He asked with a preppy english accent. She laughed and nodded. She opened her songbook, and showed him the lyrics. Then she bent close to his ear.

"You do know that I can't sing in front of people, right?"

He gave her a kind smile, and nodded. "I figured after the lunch incident. Though you shouldn't be so scared. No one could hate you once they got to know you."

What was that weird, buttery, warm feeling inside of her?

She shrugged.

"Fine, I'll sing here, but after school, we're going some where private, and you're singing for me. Deal?"

She hesitated.

'Deal?" He prompted again. She bit her lip.

"I'll try."

"Good," He picked up an acoustic guitar. "So, I figured this was a song that you wrote from my Point of View?"

She nodded sheepishly. He grinned.

"Well, I understand why you would want to," He smirked egotistically. She just rolled her eyes and showed him the lyric page. She told him the chords that she was thinking of, and he started strumming.

_I had a really really messed up week_

_Seven days of torture, seven days of bitter_

_And my girlfriend went and cheated on me_

_She's a California dime, but it's time for me to quit her._

_La la la_

_Whatever_

_La la la_

_Doesn't matter_

_La la la_

_Oh well_

_La la la_

_Tonight, tonight_

_there's a party on the rooftop, Top of the world_

_Tonight, tonight_

_And we're dancing on the edge of the Hollywood sign_

_I don't know if I'll make it_

_But watch out cause I'll fake it_

_It's alright, alright, tonight, tonight_

Ally's jaw had dropped. His voice was that of an angels. Sweet and melodious. And he knew how to work a guitar. Everyone in the class had started clapping. Cassidy sauntered up.

"Austie! That was amazing!" she squealed. Austin smiled, but Ally caught his eye roll.

"Thanks Cass. Ally wrote it." Either Cassidy didn't care, or she didn't hear. Austin turned to Ally. "That was amazing. There's no way that I'm going to be able to come up with a song in your point of view that will be this good. It's almost like you were me!"

Ally laughed. "Thanks, but I'll help you."

"Sounds good," He smiled. Ally loved this Austin. He wasn't a Bad Boy. He was really kind. The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Austin turned to Ally.

"Do you want me to come to Sonic Boom tonight?"

She nodded. It was the only place that she actually sung. "I'm done at eight. Feel free to come by any time before that though," She added shyly. He nodded.

"See ya later," And then he was gone.

Ally collected her books. Tonight she was going to sing for someone.

She was going to sing for Austin Moon.


	3. Chapter 3

**Austin**

"Sorry Dez, I'm busy after school," Austin sighed for the hundredth time into his phone.

"Fine. If she's more important than your bestfriend, then I hope you have fun."

Austin rolled his eyes. "Dez, for the last time, it's to work on a music project."

"Whatever. Text me later."

"Will do," Austin said as he hung up. Sometimes his bestfriend really got on his nerves. At the moment Austin was staring at himself in the bathroom mirror of his run downed appartment. It was only four o'clock. School had been out for hardly an hour, yet he was already anxious to go see Ally.

He had already changed his outfit about seven times. Now, he was wearing his ripped skinny's, a red shirt, with a leather jacket. Nothing too fancy, but nothing that seemed out of place either. He sighed as he played with his hair.

"Stupid bang," He muttered, as he picked up his hairspray container. There were two empty ones right beside it. He had spent forty-five minutes on his hair already, washing it out and re-doing it several times. He rolled his eyes at himself. He was never nervous with the girls at school. Heck, he hadn't even been this nervous around Wendy. It was just something about Ally that made his stomach twist.

He shook his head. He was not going to think about her that way. He promised himself that he never would feel that close to anyone ever again, after Wendy. He closed his eyes and shook his head.

Glancing back up at his reflection, he finally felt satisfied with his look. It was cool. He threw on his favourite dog whistle necklace, along with his guitar pick. Clipping a chain onto his pants, he grabbed his wallet and headed out. Well, Ally did say that he could stop by early, right?

He kept on checking his reflection in the mirror as he drove. Why did this girl get to him? He eventually resorted to turning his mirror around, so that he could focus on the road more so than his own reflection.

By the time he had pulled into a parking space, his palms were sweating. He checked the time. Four fifteen.

He took his time, strolling through the mall, looking cool as he arrived at Sonic Boom. He took a deep breath. He pictured Tink in his mind, a smile on her pixie face, her thumbs up in encouragement. He smiled at the sad memory before pushing the door open.

The store was somewhat busy, but Ally was leaning on the counter, writing away furiously in her book. Curious, Austin walked up behind her quietly. He peered over her shoulder.

_So, Austin was being really weird today. And I mean REALLY weird. I still can't believe he kissed me. Like, I would never tell him, but I kind of liked it. He isn't that bad looking. He does have really pretty eyes. And he is really nice when he's hungover. Like, he stood up for me against Cassidy! And he helped me with that song! I really hope that we can finish it tonight. He has an amazing voice. It's like listening to an ange-_

She slams her book shut as she feel's his warm breath on her neck. Suddenly her entire body stiffens.

"Hey," Austin tried to keep his voice steady as her tiny body whirled around, her scared brown eyes locking on his. He was all to aware of their position, a few inches closer and...

He took a step back, scratching the back of his head. She's a normal girl. Why was he acting so weird?

"Uh, H-hi! W-what are y-you doing here?" Her eyes darted nervously around the store. She was clutching her book so tight that her knuckles were white. Austin almost felt bad for reading it.

"Um, you did say I could come by early..."

Ally raised her eyebrows. "You do realize that you're almost FOUR HOURS early right?" She laughed a bit. He scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, really? Haha, I didn't notice..." He laughed awkardly. Smooth move Moon.

"Hey, you weren't reading my book were you?" Ally's face suddenly turns challenging. Austin gulped.

_"Normally I'd be mad at you for touching my book," She started, and he visibly winced. Everyone knew not to touch her book, "But these lyrics are so amazing I'll forgive you."_

_"Really?" His bleary eyes perked up. "Not another Jayce incident?"_

_She laughed and shook her head. "But only this once," She warned, cocking an eyebrow._

"Um, oh no!" He shook his head vigorously as he remembered earlier. She visibly relaxed. But he couldn't hold back the urge.

"So you think I have pretty eyes, huh?"

"Austin!" Ally shrieked in horror. She raised her book, a blush coming to her cheeks. He raised his hands as a shield, closing his eyes. He had seen this happen enough.

"Please don't hurt me!" He squealed in a high pitch voice. He waited for the impact, but it never came. Slowly, he opened one eye. Ally was staring cooly at him. He slowly lowered his hands.

"Um, sorry?" He tried. She smirked.

"You do realize that I could have just killed you right?"

He gave a nervous chuckle. "Well, I'm kind of glad that you didn't."

That's when Ally smiled. It made Austin feel alot safer when she had that grin on her face, rather than that murderous look.

"Sooo," He drew out the 'o' as the silence became akward. "It must be uber cool to work in a music store."

By the way her face lit up, he knew that he had hit the jackpot.

"Yeah, it totally is. The best part is whn you get to take breaks, and fool around with the different instruments."

"I bet. But we are totally using that baby grande, as soon as we get the chance," His eyes became wistful. Ally nodded in response.

"Hey, since we aren't that busy right now, can you play me something on the guitar?" She asked him shyly. He gave her a coy smile.

"Wanna hear my amazing and angelic voice again?"

She punched his arm. It wasn't that hard, but he feigned hurt.

"Oh, you are going to pay for that, Ms. Dawson," He sirked as he lunged towards her. He pinned her up against the counter, tickling her until her screams had drawn the attention of everyone in the store. When her face was finally red, and she was begging for him to stop, only then did he relent.

"That wasn't very nice," A flustered Ally tried to calm her brown locks. She glared at Austin evilly.

"You will pay for that."

He smiled at her. "I'm sure that I will." She rolled her eyes as she helped another customer.

"Ok, now I really do want to hear a song," She walked over and grabbed an orange and black acoustic guitar, that had been spray painted to look like a tiger's coat. "Play me something."

She passed him the guitar, and his throat was dry. Wendy had never liked his music. What if Ally didn't either? He took a deep breath. Ally wasn't like Wendy. He could play a song to her. He racked his brain for a good song, before settling with one that his mom used to sing in the car all the time.

_You had a fight with your girlfriend_

_She's upset_

_She's going off about something that you said_

_Cause she doesn't, get your humour like I do_

_I'm in the room_

_It's a typical Tuesday night_

_I'm listening to the kind of music she doesn't like_

_Cause she'll never, get your story like I do_

_Cause she wears short skirts_

_I wear t-shirts_

_She's cheer Captain_

_And I'm on the bleachers_

_Dreaming about the day_

_When you'll wake up and find_

_That what you're looking for_

_Has been here the whole time_

_Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along, so why can't you_

_See-ee-ee-ee_

_You belong with_

_Me-ee-ee-ee_

_You belong with me_

He strummed the last chord, not remembering the rest of the lyrics.

"Sorry, I can't seem to recall the rest. It's been a while since I've listened to that song," He admitted. Seventeen years actually.

"That's ok! You were amazing!" Ally fangirled, her jaw dropping. He gave her an uneasy smile.

"You really think so?"

"Hey, I never lie to my book. You, Austin Moon, are a true talent," She smiled. "And you have good taste in music!"

He laughed. "In my defence, I only know that song because my mom used to sing it all the time." Ally's brow scrunched.

"I thought you said that you lived with your aunt."

Shoot.

"Well," He scratched the back of his head, "I meant when I was still living with my parents, its been awhile."

"Oh.""

Awkward silence.

"How long have you lived with your Aunt?" Ally asked Austin innocently. HE put the guitar down.

"Seven years. Since I... moved here."

"What happened to your parents?"

Suddenly the conversation became too personal for Austin, much too fast. The only problem was... he wanted to tell Ally. She was the first person he had met that he felt comfortable with. It was strange. Ever since he had met her, he had been having his flashbacks more frequent too. He guessed that was because she was the first person to be normal around him. That reminded him of his old life. Before... everything happened.

"You don't have to answer. I'm sorry, I'm being nosy," Ally spoke up when he realized that he had been quiet for a while.

Austin took a deep breath. He couldn't tell Ally who he really was, what he had really done. But surely sharing about his parents would be fine. The truth was, Austin needed to share some of his load with someone. Ally was nice, he really liked her. As long as he didn't tell the whole truth, she wouldn't call him crazy and avoid him.

"My folks," Austin started slowly, taking a deep breath and looking at the ground, "Were never rich. We always had to scrape by," Ally came and sat beside him, grabbing his hand and squeezing it, "But they always did their best for me. I loved them, but they didn't deserve me. I, I was selfish. My best friend convinced me to leave them with her. I listened. I ran away when I was ten. Lot's happened... but pretty much, I ended up here."

He was tense as his history left his lips. IT wasn't the full truth, but it was the first time in seventeen years that he had shared it with someone. Keeping it bottled up for so long, then finally sharing it, was tough.

"What was her name?"

"Wendy."

Oops. As soon as he said it, he wanted to take it back. Then he chastized himself. There's lot's of girls named Wendy, she wouldn't assume anything by it, right? But his entire body constricted as he said her name. It was like acid in his mouth, a sweet, intoxicating acid. He had loved her, and she had crushed him. Just the mere mention of her name, and he slipped into the past.

_"I'm bored, Austin!" Wendy moaned from her perch in their secret tree fort. Austin was on the ground, but he flew up to her when her voice reached his ears._

_"I told you, I'm Peter now. Peter Pan. Has a nice ring to it, eh?" He quirked an eyebrow while she rolled her eyes._

_"Whatever, PETER. Now, I want to do something."_

_"We can go see what those indians were up to," He suggested. When they had flown in the other day, the encampment had immediately caught his eye._

_"We met them yesterday. And the pirates. We even saw the mermaids! There has to be something new we can do. I miss school."_

_The ten year old Austin crinkled his nose at the mention of the horrid place. "Yeah, and I miss my mam's home made duck liver."_

_"Shut-up."_

_They both laughed, falling off of their tree branches. It was no matter. Now that they both could fly, they simply hovered in the air._

_"Seriously though, at least we had something to do at school."_

_"We have something to do here!" Austin protested, grabbing her hand and pulling her up to the sky. He took them higher than either had ever been, and Wendy squealed and clutched onto Austin's arm. He quite liked her there._

_They played hide and go seek in the clouds for hours. By the time they returned to Pixie Hollow, they were soaked to the bone. Wendy flew off to find Tink to help her dry off, while Austin flew around. Pixies were everywhere, building theings, helping the animals, growing flowers. He had always known that they were real. The proof was flying beneath him._

_As far as he could tell, Wendy and him were the only 'normal' humans. Pirates and Indians didn't count. It was a little surprising, but he didn't complain. He was with Wendy, and that was all that mattered._

_A sound caused him to back track. He flew through a part of the woods he had never been to, zig zagging through gnarled trees. HE was starting to master the flying thing. Tink had done something to him, bathed him in Pixie dust or something like that. As long as he thought of something happy, managed to stay a float. Then, he could move himself simply by thinking of wanting to go forward._

_He broke into a little clearing, where an older pixie sat. He was no bigger than his hand. Around the pixie was a bunch of weird looking instruments. He stopped picking at the harp when Austin came barging in, looking up at him through his spectacles._

_"And who would you be?" The old pixie smiled kindly at Austin. Austin lowered himself to the ground, his feet landing softly._

_"I'm Au-Peter." He corrected himself. The old pixie chuckled._

_"I've heard of you. The new humans that Tink brought in." Austin nodded in confirmation. "You play music?"_

_Austin shook his head. Truth was, he always wanted to, but his family could never afford an instument._

_"C'mere and try these out," He handed Austin a set of reeds. He put them up to his mouth, blowing as hard as he could. Nothing but the sound of wind emitted. The old pixie chuckled._

_"The key, my boy, is not how hard you blow, but rather, how you blow. Keep those. Tink is a good panflute player. She can show you how to play." Then the old pixie shooed him away._

_Everyday Tink taught him a new note. At first it was frustrating, the sound of wind filling the small island. But over time, he got the hang of it. He went back to the old pixie every month to show off his newfound mastery over the instrument, and each time, the old pixie gave him a knew instrument to learn. And that was how he had learned to play every instrument._

"Austin? Austin?" He blinked his eyes open to a worried looking Ally. She wsa shaking his shoulders, completely unobservant to the line of waiting customers.

"Are you ok?" She asked again. He sat up straighter.

"You have waiting customers."

Ally looked behind her, and saw that he was telling the truth. She shot him one last worried look, before turning to deal with the customers. As soon as they were gone, she turned back to Austin.

"What happened?"

Austin sighed. There was no point in hiding the truth. "I had a flashback."

Her face softened as she pulled him into a hug. He was stiff, but quickly relaxed in her arms.

"I'm sorry."

"What?" Austin pulled away to look at her. She bit her lip.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Making you think about you past," SHe whispered. Austin shook his blonde locks.

"It wasn't your fault. She just has that effect on me."

"Wendy?" He nodded slowly.

"Was she... Is that... Did you love her?" Ally finally blurted out. Austin looked up in surprise. Then he withdrew into himself.

"Yeah. I did. Then she broke my heart," He whispered. It was silly, but unfortunately true.

"Why?" Ally pressed. Austin shrugged.

"I don't know. I loved her. I thought she loved me. I gave up everything for her, and she... she..." The tears started pouring out of his eyes. Ally quickly shut the shop before letting him cry on her shoulder. His entire body heaved with the memories.

After a while, he was finally all cried out. She sat them on the piano bench, as he leaned on her shoulder.

"She didn't deserve you Austin," Ally finally whispered. "If she left you, then she was the blind one."

Austin shook his head. "You don't understand. That's not what happened."

She held him again while he cried, but didn't press. He was grateful for that. As he cried, she started to play on the piano. Her voice was so perfectly in harmony, he didn't even realize it was her singing, until he looked over at her.

_I remember tears streaming down your face_

_When I said I'd never let you go_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light_

_I remember you said_

_Don't leave me, alone._

_But all that's dead and gone and passed_

_Tonight_

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down._

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you know_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound._

_Don't you dare look out your window_

_Darling everythings on fire_

_The war outside our door keeps raging on_

_Hold on to this Lullaby_

_Even when musics gone_

_Gone_

_Just close your eyes_

_The sun is going down_

_You'll be alright_

_No one can hurt you know_

_Come morning light_

_You and I'll be safe and sound._

As her fingers danced over the finishing keys on the piano, she turned to Austin with those big doe-eyes of hers. His tears had stopped all together during her performance. She looked a litle shaken up, but Austin couldn't understand why.

She was amazing. Before she could even say anything, he enveloped her in a hug.

"You're incredible. Thank you," He whispered into her hair. She was tense from her performance, but Ausin rubbed her back.

"You relly thought I was ok?"

"Nope," She pulled back when he popped his p. "I thought your were amazing."

She smiled and hugged him again. "Thanks. My mum wrote that song. She used to sing it to me whenever I cried."

"Your mum writes songs?"

"Wrote," She corrected him sadly. "She's been dead for seven years. Car accident."

"Oh Ally! I'm so sorry," He whispered. She shrugged. "It's fine. She's the one who got me into song writing though."

Austin pulled back suddenly.

"I want to write a song."

"But I thought you said that it was hard for you to make... oh, I see," She gave a small laugh when she looked at Austin's face. She grabbed her songbook. "Why not."

She opened to a fresh page. Austin played the tune that made it's way into his head, and she wrote down the notes. Silently, she added some chords, while Austin added a base beat. He picked up her pencil, taking a risk, he start to write down the first sentence in silence. She didn't kill him, so he continued.

_Do you ever feel like breaking down? _

_Do you ever feel out of place? _

_Like somehow you just don't belong _

_And no one understands you _

Ally stole the pen from him and quickly jotted something down.

_Do you ever wanna runaway? _

_Do you lock yourself in your room? _

_With the radio on turned up so loud _

_That no one hears you screaming_

Austin stole the pencil back, his left hand still absentmindedly playing the base keys. He had to write it. The truth. Just once. How he felt everyday of his life. How he would feel for the rest of his life.

_No you don't know what it's like _

_When nothing feels all right _

_You don't know what it's like _

_To be like me_

The pencil cam to a slow stop as he ran out of lyrics. He was about to drop it, when much to his surprise, Ally took it from him and continued writing. Her hand slightly trembled as she wrote out the chorus.

_To be hurt To feel lost To be left out in the dark _

_To be kicked when you're down _

_To feel like you've been pushed around _

_To be on the edge of breaking down _

_And no one's there to save you _

Austin didn't even bother to write, he just sang.

_No you don't know what it's like _

_Welcome to my life_

It was still silent, apart from the piano and their voices singing what they wrote. He grabbed the pencil, wrote down what he just sung, and continued with his train of thought. He thought about all the times he just wished he was normal. Sure he was the most popular kid in school, but he never felt more lonely.

_Do you wanna be somebody else? _

_Are you sick of feeling so left out? _

_Are you desperate to find something more? _

_Before your life is over _

Ally intercepted the pencil, and wrote while she sang. Tears silently made their way down her cheeks, but Austin let her write. He knew the feeling. You just had to get it out.

_Are you stuck inside a world you hate? _

_Are you sick of everyone around? _

_With their big fake smiles and stupid lies _

_While deep inside you're bleeding_

Austin had tears down his face too. They both took a deep breath, and without even looking at the paper, just singing from their own experiences, they sung the chorus in unison. They weren't just writing a song anymore. They were sharing what they couldn't say.

_No you don't know what it's like _

_When nothing feels all right _

_You don't know what it's like _

_To be like me_

_To be hurt To feel lost To be left out in the dark _

_To be kicked when you're down _

_To feel like you've been pushed around _

_To be on the edge of breaking down _

_And no one's there to save you _

_No you don't know what it's like _

_Welcome to my life_

Austin stopped, but Ally kept going.

_No one ever lied straight to your face _

Austin cut Ally off.

_No one ever stabbed you in the back _

Ally took over control again, both of them scribbling down fast. Ally blinked a couple of times to clear the tears from her eyes so that she could see what she was writing. Austin had to do the same. Thank goodness the store was closed.

_You might think I'm happy but I'm not gonna be okay _

_Everybody always gave you what you wanted _

_Never had to work it was always there _

_You don't know what it's like, what it's like_

Ally started to shake, and her voice died. Austin was trembling, but he whispered the chorus again. His voice echoed solely with the base chords throughout the empty store, with only Ally's sobs in between.

_To be hurt To feel lost To be left out in the dark _

_To be kicked when you're down _

_To feel like you've been pushed around _

_To be on the edge of breaking down _

_And no one's there to save you _

_No you don't know what it's like (what it's like)_

Austin dropped the pencil in his right hand as used it to wipe his cheeks. As he dropped it, Ally's hand found his own, and they squeezed eachother's to know that they weren't alone. They both took a deep breath before singing the last part softly, silent tears still leaking from their eyes.

_To be hurt To feel lost To be left out in the dark _

_To be kicked when you're down _

_To feel like you've been pushed around _

_To be on the edge of breaking down _

_And no one's there to save you _

_No you don't know what it's like _

_Welcome to my life _

_Welcome to my life _

_Welcome to my life_

As Ally played the last notes on the piano, their voices died. They had no idea how long they sat there, staring at her book, silent tears running down their faces, when Ally's phone rang. They both snapped out of their reveries, wiping their faces, Ally trying to find her phone. Neither say anything as she opens her phone.

"Hello?" Her voice is thick with tears, and she clears her throat.

Austin stays silent as she listens.

"Hey Trish. No, I'm fine. No, it's not my dad, I'm at work... Mm-hmn. Actually, Austin's here with me. We're working on our project... NO! It's not him, we were just..." She looks up and makes eye contact with him, and he gives her a small smile which she returns. "...Connecting."

She talks to her a bit longer, but Austin doesn't mind. He can't help but think about what she said. Her dad? Maybe... oh. That's what she meant when she was singing. Austin felt so bad for her, his heart ached. They both had revealed themselves in that one song. Adn crazy as it was, he didn't regret it.

"Bye Trish," Ally rolled her eyes and hung up. She put her phone back on the counter, then sat beside Austin. Both of them were quiet as they absorbed the impact of what they had just done.

"I know what it's like, and I'll always be there to save you," He whispered raggedly. She gave him a weak smile.

"Thanks Austin. No one knows. It's nice to know that someone cares," She whispered back. And then they hugged and didn't let go, both too afraid that if they did, they would be alone forever.

"How about we get something to eat?" Austin finally asked. Ally nodded, and they both got up. Their eyes were red and puffy, but they didn't care. Ally locked up the store, and Austin put his arm around her shoulders as they walked. She didn't pull away. Instead, she leaned in closer, because it was the first place that she felt safe for a long time.

They ate dinner in the comfortable silence of just knowing that the other was there. Neither knew eachother's full story, but neither needed to. The important thing that both of them were there for eachother. Both wanted to protect the other.

Austin drove Ally home. The evening hadn't been what he was planning, but he wouldn't have wanted it any way else. As he pulled into her driveway, she muttered a thank you, and went to get out. Austin grabbed her wrist, and as she turned around, they both had a pleading look of the drowning. Austin squeezed her wrist. Then she did something that he hadn't been expecting. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

It wasn't a normal kiss. Yeah, it made Austin's cheeks go red, and his toes tingle, but it was more of a promise. A reassurance that no matter what, they would keep eachothers secret safe. Austin kissed her cheek back. They each squeezed each other's hands once more, before she left.

The song they wrote played over and over again in Austin's head. He hadn't realized how damaged she actually was. They both were, in a sort of sense. Hopefully neither of them would drown before the other could save them though. Although nothing was for sured. He had learned that the hard way.

When Wendy had crushed him all those years ago, he had made himself two promises. To never be Peter again. That was the obvious one. But he also promised himself that he would never fall in love. It was why he moved from girl to girl so quickly and was kind of a player. If he never fell in love again, he could never be hurt again.

He wasn't sure what to do about Ally. He was definitely developing feelings for her. But he was wary. How could he not be? The last time he had followed his heart, he ended up shattered, unfixable. He was still haunted by that one mistake.

As he unlocked his apartment door, he shook his head. He'd be careful. But Ally was different. It wasn't necessarily that he started liking her because he was attracted to her. Sure he thought she was attractive, but it was more a sense of rescue that propelled him to her. She had been broken like he was. He wasn't sure how, but he wanted to fix that. He needed to fix her.

He flopped on his bed and it creaked in protest. It was ten, but he couldn't get to sleep. He picked up his guitar and strummed. A couple lyrics bubbled up, and he sang quietly.

_I walk a lonely road _

_The only one that I have ever known _

_Don't know where it goes _

_But it's home to me and I walk alone_

_I walk this empty street _

_On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams _

_When the city sleeps _

_And I'm the only one and I walk alone_

_I walk alone I walk alone I walk alone I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me _

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating _

_Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me 'til then I walk alone_

_Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah, Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah_

_I'm walking down the line _

_That divides me somewhere in my mind _

_On the border line _

_Of the edge and where I walk alone_

_Read between the lines _

_What's f***ed up and everything's alright _

_Check my vital signs _

_To know I'm still alive and I walk alone_

_I walk alone I walk alone I walk alone I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me_

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating _

_Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me 'til then I walk alone_

_Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah, aaah-ah Ah-ah, ah-ah_

_I walk alone I walk a..._

_I walk this empty street _

_On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams _

_When the city sleeps _

_And I'm the only one and I walk a..._

_My shadow's the only one that walks beside me _

_My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating _

_Sometimes I wish someone up there will find me 'til then I walk alone..._

He sighed as he dropped the guitar on the floor. Great. Two depressing songs in one evening. He sighed. Deciding that sleep wouldn't be the best answer, he walked onto his little balcony. The moon was shining, and he could make out the constellations in the clear nights sky. His eyes stopped roving was they settled on two stars.

Neverland.

Tinkerbell.

_Wendy._

He needed to stop it. Stop it all. The thoughts, the dreams, the flashbacks, the memories. All of it. He closed his eyes and made a hasty decision. Pushing away all thoughts but a brunette girl with problems as big as his own. Who's laugh made him laugh, and who's smile made his heart beat at a mile a minute. She was no Wendy. No - because she didn't make him sad. She didn't hurt him.

She was his Ally.

A smile broke across his features as he flet the breeze. He opened his eyes, and smirked grimly at himself at what he saw. For the first time in seven years, Austin was actually flying again. He was ten feet off the ground, some pixie dust which he thought had faded, trailing behind him. After seven years, he finally broke his promise.

Peter Pan, was back again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ally**

Ally was having a nervous break down.

"C'mon Als. You said he didn't freak out, so why are you freaking out?" Trish shouted through the locked bathroom door.

"You didn't just release your biggest secret to the jerkiest person on Earth!" She shouted back.

She could hear Trish sigh. "Ally, you said you didn't exactly tell him. And even I know that jerkiest isn't even a real word." This time Ally sighed.

"Well ain't you cantakerous."

"And old Ally is back again," She heard her bestfriend mutter, which brought a smile up to Ally's lips. Then it fleeted away again, as she remembered Austin.

Oh Austin.

She was terrified, to say the least. The last person she had ever expected to get close to was Austin. But there was something about him. The emotion he had when he was writing that song... it broke Ally's heart. She had no idea that his past was so dark. She just wanted to comfort him, but that meant that he would have to fully open up to her, but she wasn't sure that she wanted that. Then she would have to open up to him...

"Um, Ally?" Trish's tone of voice had changed, causing Ally to listen. "You might want to come out."

"Trish if you think-"

"Austin's here."

Ally opened the stall door faster than lightening, trying to wipe her tears off her face. True enough, there was Austin Moon, standing in the middle of the girls bathroom at school. It was currently first period, so the bathroom was empty. Still, it was a risky move.

"Ally are you ok?" Austin's eyes widened at her tear stained face. She immediatley ran into his open arms. A week ago she would have laughed at herself, but there was a connection when they had written that song. There was no doubt about it. She knew that they both would comort the other when needed.

"Good to know I'm your bestfriend. Of course you come out for him," She heard Trish mutter, but Ally ignored it.

"What happened?" He whispered. She gave him one last hug, before letting go and stepping back. She shook her head.

"Nothing. Personal problems."

He looked like he totally didn't believe her, but he let it go, thankfully.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him. He gave her a lopsided smile.

"You weren't in History, so I figured either the world was ending, or something equally as drastic must have occured."

Ally afforded him a small smile. His smile seemed to falter for a moment.

"After our song... I just, I wanted to... you're ok?"

Ally laughed a bit at his flustered face, but gave him a small smile. "I'm... no one knows Austin. I'm just adjusting to the fact that you do."

He nodded. Trish cleared her throat. "I never thought I'd say this, but can we get back to class now?"

Ally laughed, but nodded. Maybe Austin caring about her wasn't so bad. It wasn't like he knew everything anyways. They all walked to class silently. Ally somewhat heard Trish fib to the teacher as to why the three of them were late, and the three of them took a seat in the back beside Austin's red-headed friend. He seemed to smirk at Austin, but Ally couldn't be sure.

She sat between Austin and Trish, who sat beside the red-head.

The entire class Austin and his buddy passed notes, and it must have been pretty deep stuff, because Austin scowled at the notes, or blushed. It amused Ally for a bit, before she decided to take out her journal and write for a bit.

_Dear Journal_

_This week is gonna be a floozy. The weekend was interesting enough. I pretty much locked myself in my room the entre weekend, not eating anything. Not that I needed to of course. I made two new friends. Anna and Mia. They both are helping me with my weight problem. Mia encourages me to throw up if I eat to much. I was a little repelled at first, but it's actually quite a useful tactic. Anna is there for moral support. She is always helping me make sure that I don't eat in the first place. Thanks to the both of them, I lost five pounds this weekend! I'm still no where near thin, but they are helping. They're great friends. I even managed to evade a beating from my father. Maybe I should lock myself in my room more often. When I came into school this morning, I had a panic attack. I saw Austin. It's all good now, but at the time, I just couldn't help but think, What if? What if he started teasing me? What if he told everyone that I had a secret? I guess it all got to me. Thankfully everything turned out fine, and I am now sitting in history, listening to Trish bicker with a red head. Dez? I dunno his name, but I do know that they act like an old married couple. It's annoying, but kind of endearing. They totally like eachother, but knowing Trish, she'll deny it forever. Sometimes I wish I never had to grow up. Oh, if only Peter Pan was real. Then maybe I could fly away with him to Neverland and never have to worry about my problems ever again. Oh, how nice it was to dream. I need to go now journal. I feel Austin reading over my shoulder. I suppose I can't freak out at him anymore, because he's already touched you, so you can get used to him. Until next time ;)_

Ally closed her journal, and sent a pointed look at Austin. He blushed a little in embarrassment, and gave her an apologetic smile. She rolled her eyes and nudged his side. He leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Maybe Peter Pan is real." His breath was warm on her neck, and made her smile. She whispered back to him.

"Well, if he is, he certainly hasn't answered my wishes."

"Maybe he's waiting for the best time.". The sparkle in his eye suggested that he knew something she didn't, and it kind of bugged her. "Remind me in music, I wrote a song for the POV thingy, and I want to show you."

Ally rolled her eyes. "First off, thingy isn't a word, and second, I have a song that I want to show you as well."

"It's a date," He sent her a smile. Then he seemed to realize what he said, and his cheeks turned a furious red color as he started to stutter out an apology. A laugh escaped her lips.

"It's fine Austin. It was quite cute, actually.". He gave her a relieved smile.

The bell rang for lunch, and Ally gathered her books up. Austin followed, and they made their way to their lockers, which just so happened to be near each other. Ally reached up to open her lock, when Austin's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. He twisted it so that he could look at it, and even though she tried to pull away, he was too strong.

"Austin, please-"

"What are these, Ally?" He hissed, gesturing to the scars on her wrist that she forgot to cover up. She bit her lip, and wouldn't meet his eye.

"Reminders, Austin."

He was taken aback by her honesty, and his eyes softened in sympathy. "Ally, you shouldn't cut."

She gave him a cold glare. "Tell me something I don't know, won't you?"

He sighed, dropped her wrist, and ran a hand through his luscious blonde locks. He looked... agonized. He finally grabbed Alley's chin roughly, forcing her to look into his eyes. "rally," His voice was dangerously low, "Please. I can't loose you too."

It was her turn to be taken aback. He just looked so... miserable. She nodded slowly. "I can't loose you either," She whispered. Austin wrapped his arms around her waist, not caring about the stares coming from the students passing. Ally bit back her tears.

"Let's go to lunch," Austin finally suggested. Ally nodded numbly. They walked into the cafeteria together. Ally started to walk over to her usual seat by the trash can, but Austin grabbed her arm.

"Can you sit with me?"

Ally stared at him open mouthed. Then she nodded slowly. He smiled, and guided her over to the popular table. The entire cafeteria was silent as they watched the ordeal take place. Ally sat next to Austin and Trish, who had migrated that way once she saw her best friend over there. Trish and Dez were kicking each other under the table, sending each other murderous glances. They so like each other.

As Ally sat down, Cassidy made a face. As did Brooke and Tully. Ally gaged on the perfume overload. Dallas, Ethan, Elliot and Trent were just as bad with the axe.

"OMGG! Why did the nerd just sit within five meters of me?" Cassidy screeched dramatically. Ally rolled her eyes, while Austin frowned.

"She's my friend."

"WHAT?!" That rang out from the entire cafteria.

"She's my friend," Austin repeated in a dangerously low voice. No one challenged him again, and everyone went back to their own conversations. Trish leaned over and poked Alley's side.

"I told you we'd get away from the trash cans!" She smirked, while Ally rolled her eyes.

"So. Aus. Where'd you pick this one up?" Trent asked, biting into his sandwich. Austin's finger curled around his spoon tightly.

"We're music partners."

Everyone 'oh'ed in understanding. While they went back to their talk Bout prada and football, Austin turned to Ally.

"Why aren't you eating?"

Ally bit her lip. "I'm not hungry," she lied. Austin's frown deepened.

"Are you sure?"

Nope, she wanted to say, but Anna spoke for her. "I'm sure."

"Trying to loose wait over there, fatty?" Cassidy snickered. Austin swiveled on her.

"What did you call her?"

Cassidy rolled her eyes. "FATTY. Can't you tell? Look at her."

Ally turned red as she hunched over, not wanting Austin to see how fat she was. "Alley's skinnier than you." I turned to Austin as he said that, completely shocked. Cassidy and her minions squeal with indignation.

"She is not!"

"Uh, yeah she is. Look at this," He wrapped his hands around Cassidy's waist, his thumbs connecting, and a five inch gap there. Then he placed his hands on Alley's waist, in the same position, and his fingers were touching."

"Ooh, Cass just got burnt!" Ethan snickered. Cassidy gasped. Even Ally was a bit surprised.

The rest of lunch and the day was uneventful. Until the break. Ally walked to grab her music books for her last class, when Cassidy appeared beside her, all by herself.

"Come. Now," She hissed. Ally gulped. Hard. Then, steeling herself over, she followed Cassidy into the girls bathroom. As soon as she entered, she was met with a slap across the cheek.

She cupped her swollen face, tears starting to form.

"Stay away from Austin looser!" Cassidy growled. She kicked Alley's shin for good measure, before storming out of the bathroom. Ally waited five minutes to the bell, before walking to her next class.

She entered music late, and the teacher looked at her in alarm. "What happened to your face, Ms. Dawson?"

Ally took a shaky breath, then caught Cassidy's eye. She could see the warning there, as loud as day. "I fell. Clumsy me."

The teacher didn't really look like she believed that, but thankfully she let it go. She turned to the class, as Ally took her seat next to Austin.

"Now that everyone is here, We have a pop quiz today. I want you and your partner to perform one of the songs you have written Already to the class. We'll start with Cassidy and Dallas," Ms. Bennett chimed.

Ally had to suppress covering her ears. She had to admit, Cassidy's voice was good, as was Dallas', but the lyrics were horrible. As they got to the third verse about how hot they looked in everything, Austin leaned over to her.

"If we pretend that it's just you and me, will you be able to play?". Fear seized through Slob's veins as her father's words seared across her brain. She was about to shake her head no, when he grabbed her hand. It sent a warmth through her, causing her to nod.

Everyone went, most only having a couple verses done. When it was their turn, Austin pretty much carried Ally up, but he didn't complain and she didn't mind. They both took a seat at the beinch, Alley's entire body rigid. Why did she agree to this again? On yeah, because his eyes could make her melt faster than a chocolate bar on a sunny day.

Austin gave her one last squeeze, before he started to play the piano. Ally closed her eyes, and her hands immediately began to follow ensuite. As she played the keys, she relaxed, eventually forgetting that the class was there.

They sang the entire song perfectly, tears streaming their cheeks by the time they had finished. When they turned around, they were shocked to see everyone staring at them, their mouths forming o's. Ms. Bennett looked worried.

"Thank you for that amazing song, Austin and Ally. Can I see you two after class for a bit, please?". We nod, and then they ran off the stage.

"You were incredible Ally!" Austin hugged her. Ally blushed. "Thank you. You too."

"So, wanna her my song in your POV?" Before she could answer, Ms. Bennett came over.

"Austin, Ally. I was wondering if I could sit in on your work today," She asked timidly. Ally nodded, unsure of why the teacher would want to. Then she turned back to Austin who had already grabbed a guitar.

"OK, so this is how I believe your life must be you're going to need to help me with a few parts,"Hegaveher a sly smile, which she laughed at.

"Just play the song already," She rolled her eyes. He smiled, and started strumming the guitar.

_Ally came to school today, every single hair in place _

_Put her pencils in a row, _

_Ally's got it in control _

_If only anybody knew what she's really going through _

_A perfect image but it's all pictures on a crooked wall_

_Like pictures on a crooked wall they never will be straight _

_She'll try to keep her world in line till something falls and breaks _

_How much can she take?_

Austin stopped strumming. "That's all I have," He admits. Ally stared at him gratefully.

"That's beautiful, Austin."

He blushed, and she pulled the guitar over to her own lap. She quickly picked up his pattern, the continued singing from the heart as he scribbled down her words.

_She goes home blinds are drawn _

_Sink is full, TV's on _

_Looks around mom's not there _

_Cat's curled up in daddy's chair _

"How's that?" She asked him. He smiled wide.

"That's perfect! How about this?" He pulled the guitar from her hands.

_Little brother is in his room _

_She tells him that dinner's soon _

_One girl trying to fix it all, _

_pictures on a crooked wall_

The smile drops from her face as he sings about a little brother. She hadn't had one since that fatal night...

_Like pictures on a crooked wall they never will be straight _

_She'll try to keep her world in line till something falls and breaks _

_How much can she take?_

How much could she take? She wasn't sure, but she did know one thing, and that was that she was reaching her limit pretty soon.

_With no foundation _

_How can she bear such a load _

_It would be too much for anyone to face alone _

_And she's so alone_

_Like pictures on a crooked wall they never will be straight _

_She'll try to keep her world in line till something falls and breaks _

_Like pictures on a crooked wall they never will be straight _

_She'll try to keep her world in line till something falls and breaks _

_And it's gonna fall and break_

_Jenny came to school today, every single hair in place _

_A perfect image but it's all pictures on a crooked wall._

"That was amazing," She breathed. It was crazy how well he already knew her, even though they didn't really know eachother, if that makes sense. He gave her a sad smile. They just had to look at eachother. Ally cleared her throat.

Let me show you what I came up for you, then we can work on a new song." They all migrated towards the piano, and Ally started to play the delecate notes by memory.

_What is this life I've stumbled in to? _

_Where's it gonna take me? _

_Where's it gonna take you? _

_If life is a journey, then I know where I'll be _

_By the ocean, oh, that valley in the sea_

_But I don't think anyone's looking for me _

_Especially you _

_And if someone is looking, then who?_

_And it's amazing _

_How lost inside you feel _

_When you look fine on the outside _

_You're screaming, "Someone take the wheel!" _

_And it's amazing _

_Yeah, they think you've got it all _

_But it might just be a pebble _

_That's gonna make you fall_

_What is this story that tells me I'm fine? _

_It adds color to my pages _

_Like a sweet, little nursery rhyme _

_If I had the answers _

_Then I know where I'd be _

_By the ocean, oh, that valley in the sea_

_And it's amazing _

_How lost inside you feel _

_When you look fine on the outside _

_You're screaming, "Someone take the wheel!" _

_And it's amazing _

_Yeah, they think you've got it all _

_But it might just be a pebble _

_That's gonna make you fall away_

_Like summer fades to grey _

_And be honest babe _

_Cause it hurts so much to say_

_That I don't think anyone's looking for me _

_Especially you _

_And if someone is looking, then who?_

_And it's amazing _

_How lost inside you feel _

_When you look fine on the outside _

_You're screaming, "Someone take the wheel!" _

_And it's amazing _

_Yeah, they think you've got it all _

_But it might just be a pebble _

_That's gonna make you fall _

_That's gonna make you fall _

_That's gonna make you fall_

Ally finished her performance with satisfaction. She had spent all weekend writing that when she wasn't freaking out. She just felt it portrayed the Austin she knew so well. He seemed perfect, but once you looked closer, you could see the cracks that he had tried so hard to hide.

She thought about his 'Wendy,' and how she broke his heart. And how he still seemed to care about her. And that song they had written, Welcome to my Life, had been the pebble that had shattered him.

"So... What do you think?" She asked quietly. Austin shook his head, and she could see the tears. She hugged him, and he immediately hugged her back.

"It was perfect too. Thank You."

She had no idea how long they sat like that for, before she pulled away first, giving him a sad smile.

"I want our next song to be in both of our POV's again. That worked so well last time."

He nodded, and they assumed their positions on the piano. She experimented with a couple notes, before she picked out a melody that she quite liked. Austin quickly added some chords. She wrote them out in her book, before singing the first thing that came to mind and wrote it down.

_I remember the days_

_When I was a fairy princess_

_In my palace_

_Singing pretty little songs_

_And dancing along_

_Looked like tinkerbell_

_As far as I could tell_

_I was a prima ballerina_

_Sharing secrets with my teddy bear_

_I drew pictures of my dreams_

_And I wished one day_

_That's who I would be_

Ally couldn't help but smile at her favourite memories. She give anything to go back to those simple days when everything was smiles and laughter. As she started to reminisct, Austin picked up the ball.

_But I'm feeling lost_

_And I'm loosing sight_

_Tell me, where did that princess hide?_

The smallest of smiles twitches on Austin's face as Ally started singing.

_I'm not a little girl anymore_

_I'm grown up, trying to find my way_

_I'm changing fast_

_And I want to go back_

_To Neverland and fairytales, _

_Freckles and pig tails_

Austin sang another line.

_I'm trying to find who I am_

Ally quickly butted in, thinking about her one wish. About the one person who could change her life. The one person she had begged and cried for on countless nights.

_Can you hear me Peter Pan?_

Austin seened a little thrown off by that line for some reason, but Ally ignored it, continuing despite the unsteady beat he was creating.

_I thought life was a puzzle_

_I could put together easily_

_Without any pressure_

_But pieces are missing and the picture is changing_

_Too fast for me_

Austin seemed to refocus, and took over singing again.

_Tomorrow seems so far away_

_While everyone's telling me_

_What to do today_

Austin's voice died out, but Ally quickly picked it back up again.

_I'm confused and scared_

_I just want to rewind_

_But Captain Hook_

_Keeps stealing my time_

_But I'm feeling lost_

_And I'm loosing sight_

_Tell me Peter where did that Princess hide?_

Austin came in for the rest of the chorus, his low voice complimenting her higher pitched one.

_I'm not a little girl anymore_

_I'm grown up, trying to find my way_

_I'm changing fast_

_And I want to go back_

_To Neverland and Fairytales, _

_Freckles and Pig Tails_

_I'm trying to find who I am_

_Can you hear me Peter Pan?_

Ally continued singing.

_I realize that I can't stop time_

_So I'll keep Neverland_

_In my mind_

_Where I'll always be that little girl_

_I'll close my eyes and find my way_

_And I'll keep my sights,_

_On the second star to the right_

_But my fairy dust and hopes and dreams_

_I'll remember you and me_

_I'll find out who I am_

_Can you hear me Peter Pan?_

_Can you hear me Peter Pan?_

_Can you hear me Peter Pan?_

Austin finished the music, and they both stared at the piano, slightly out of breath. Austin looked distraught, but Ally figured it was because this song had touched him too. But he did continue to send struggled glances towards he for some reason. She shrugged it off.

"Well, another great song Austin," She sighed as she marked the date in her book. Suddenly the bell went off. The two went to collect their things, when Ms. Bennet cleared her throat. Ally had completely forgot about Ms. Bennet's presence. She waited till everyone left before turning to Austin and Ally.

"Your guy's music is quite touching and deep. I just wanted to make sure that nothing was going on. I'm always here to talk if you need a pair of ears," She offered. They both nodded, and left the classroom quickly. Ally felt that was totally awkward, to say the least. Sudden;y Austin grabbed her wrist.

"Ally?"

She turned to him, an inquisitive look on her face. He bit his lip.

"Peter Pan is listening. And he wants to help. He jusy doesn't know how."

Ally smiled at Austin's attempt to help her. She shook her head. "It's alright Austin. I know that it's childish to believe in Peter Pan. I just need some relief, you know?"

He shook his head vigorously. "That's not what I mean. I mean, Peter Pan is real. And he cares about you. Alot."

Ally raised an eyebrow. he didn't seem to be lying, but he wasn't making much sense either. Austin suddenly locked eyes with her. He was distressed, agonized and scared. Emotions that mimicked Ally's own. But there was one thing in there that she trusted. His truth. His honesty.

"And how would you know that?" She asked, curious to say the least. The slightest of sighs, left his lips.

"Because I am Peter Pan."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, sorry about the long update period, been super busy. Anyways, I think I'm going to write shorter chapters now, so I'll be able to update quicker. Anyways. Hope you like... although I felt this chapter was kind of stupid. When you read, just remember that Ally isn't in a right state of mind... yeah... Reviews?**

**Austin**

As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, he regretted it. He clammed his throat up, refusing to say anything. How could have been so stupid? Seven years in the trash now, because he couldn't keep his trap shut.

"What?"

The look on her face did it for him. The thought that she didn't believe him, cut deeper than he could have ever imagined. He felt the tears form in his eyes. He finally thought that he had found someone who would understand him. But apparently she turned out to be another Wendy.

He ran then. Ran from it all. The pain the memories the lost. He was faintly aware of Ally calling his name, but he ignored her and continued to run. He just needed to get away.

People shot him funny looks as he pushed his way through the crowds. As his closterphobia started to well up in his chest, his breathing sped up.

"Austin?" Cassidy shot him a strange look which he ignored. He dropped his backpack, but didn't stop to pick it up. Finding the doors out of the school, he burst out, not even stopping as the doors hit several students. Papers went flying, but people cleared a past for Austin. That's what happens when you're the most popular guy at the school.

His vision blurred with induced tears. His feet didn't stop until he broke through the woods, running to the edge of the small creek that ran behind the school. Now he was just infuriated with himself for being so stupid. Before his mind could comprehend, his fist was flying through the air, ending with a satisfying crunch in the trunk of a tree. He pulled his hand back, his knuckles bloody, but his anger diminishing.

He closed his eyes in pain. Why was he such an idiot? He felt his feet rising off the ground. He wasn't sure how he was flying, he certainly had no happy thought in his head at the moment. He sagged across a branch, ten feet up, not opening his eyes as he leaned against the trunk.

"Austin?" His eyes flew open at the sound of Alley's voice. "Please come back. Where are you?"

He watched as she looked around for him. He didn't want to hear her critisicm right now. He just wanted to be alone. But right when he thought she was going to leave, she just had to look up.

"Austin!"

He stared up at the sky, hoping she would go away, but she didn't. When he snuck another peak, he saw that she was attempting to climb the tree. It took her five very amusing minutes, to reach the branch beside Austin. She sat there for a minute, trying to catch her breath.

"Why did you run away from me?" Her voice was timid, causing Austin's resolve to crumble. He looked at her.

"You think I'm crazy, don't you?"

"Why would I think that?"

Austin sighed in frustration. "Because I heard the disbelief in your voice!" He shouted, tears falling now. "You're just like her!"

Ally was quiet for a few moments, and he thought that she had left, until he felt her small hand slid into his own. He looked over in surprise, but she was staring at the horizon.

"It wasn't disbelief," Her voice was quiet. _"Surprise maybe. Shock definitely. But not disbelief. I trust you Austin. You're the only person I trust."

Austin was silent. Now that his mind was starting to clear, he felt bad for yelling at her. "I'm sorry Ally. I trust you too. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," He admitted.

A small smile escaped her lips. "So why Peter?"

A genuine grin broke across Austin's face as he chuckled. "When I was little my favourite book was The Chronicles of Narnia. My mom used to read it too me all the time. My favorite character was Pehee. So it was the name I went by after I ran away."

And slowly, sentence by sentence, his story slipped out. He told Ally about his adventures in Never land. What his mom was like. And most importantly, who Wendy was. Ally laughed and cried at all the right parts, and never let go of his hand once.

"I'm sorry I said you were like Wendy," Austin apologized. "You're nothing like her."

Ally nodded slowly. "I believe you, but you have to make me a promise."

"What?" Austin asked.

"Promise that you'll take me to Never land one day."

Austin hesitated for the slightest second. After Wendy died, he had promised himself that he would never go back. it he had also mad/e another promise to himself that day, which he had already broken. He had promised not to fall in love.

He stopped short as he came to that realization. He had fallen in love with Ally Dawson, the shy, quiet, nerd. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but at one point it did. A small smile broke across his face. "OK."

Ally smiled but it was wiped off with his next question. "So what's your story?"

He caught her slight hesitation and the way she bit her lip. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"The day was November 5, 2006. My mom had just picked my little brother up from daycare, and was driving me to a party. I had insisted on going to it, even though it was on the other side of town. And my mom being the nicest person ever, agreed to drive me. It was dark out, raining hard. My little brother was crying, so I turned around and told him to shut-up. My mom turned around in surprise. Those few seconds during which she had taken h eyes off the road, a semi had crossed over to our side of the road."

A single tear fell from her open eyes, and Austin sat in silence. "The truck squashed the drivers side of the car. My life was only spared because I was in the passenger seat. My mom died on impact, but my little brother was in the middle. He was half trapped in the metal, and as I held his head, he died in front of me," She sobbed. Austin leaned over and hugged her.

"He was only four," She cried again. "It's my fault that he died. His name was Peter."

Austin clued into why that name suddenly meant so much to her. He rubbed her back in circles. "I'm so sorry Ally."

She sniffles and sat in silence. "My dad became a drunk after that. He was always at work. And when he was at home..." She stopped for a second, before pulling up her shirt. Austin gasped at the sight of her blue-green torso. Skin was definitely not supposed to be that color. He felt anger roar in his ears. Who would dare hit a girl as sweet as Ally?

"Are these fresh?" His voice croaked. Ally nodded.

'Last night. I revered it though. I deserve all of it. I'm the reason my ,pm and brother died. I don't deserve to live," She whispered. More tears came out. Austin grabbed her chin gently and turned her face so that he could stare into her dark chocolate eyes.

"You listen to me Ally," He said firmly. "You don't deserve any of this. Accidents happen, it wasn't your fault. But this, this isn't right."

Ally lowered her head in shame at his words. He hugged her tight.

"Ally would you be mad at me if I told you that I think I love you?" The words rolled off his tongue before he could think. For a second he panicked, until he realized that she was chuckling lightly into his chest.

"No, because I think that I might love you too," She replied. And that made his day. The grin that stretched across his face felt so good and real for once. "And I was thinking," She added, "That maybe we could try out for the school's musical this year?"

Austin stared at her in surprise. "But what about your stage fright?"

She blushed. "I don't have it when you're with me. And I remembered that the play this year was Peter Pan.". Austin's grin widened, until he came to his senses.

"But you'd have to be Wendy."

Ally was silent for a moment. "Nevermind. It was a stupid idea."

Austin was about to agree, when something stopped him. He ran the thought over in his head again. "No," he started slowly, it's not. We should do it."

Ally looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded. She wasn't like Wendy, and never would be. "Yeah. Let's do it."

Ally giggled before leaning back on the trunk. Austin started to close his eyes, when her scream shot them back open. She brushed a spider from herself, but she lost her balance. for a second, time seemed to freeze as he watched her tumble from the branch. Then his reflexes kicked in.

He dove down after her and caught her, a mere four feet from the ground. He exploded upwards, sailing past the tree line. She wrapped herself around him, her head buried deep within his chest. He flew with determination, trying not to think about what he was doing. Because right now, it was all reflex. He actually couldn't really remember how to fly, it just happened. Like how Dez likes boxing kangaroos. You just don't question some things.

A couple of people pointed to them, but Austin ignored them, flying straight to his balcony instead. The breeze awakened him and a smile broke across his features as his feet touched down softly on the tile of his patio. He set Ally down gently. She looked up, looking around acrefully. Then she did something he wasn't expecting.

She punched his chest.

"What was that for?" HE whined. She glared at him.

"You could have just done that you know." He laughed at her expression. It was true. He didn't even think about flying with her. Sometimes he could be sooooooo stupid.

He laughed and led her inside. A slight blush arose to his cheeks as he realized just how messy his apartment was. HE scrambled to pick up the dirty clothes from the floor, and put them in the laundry chute.

"So," He said once she took a seat. "This is it."

Her eyes looked around a bit, and a small smile was on her features. "I like it."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. You won't hurt my feelings. I am somewhat aware that I am a teeanged boy, and am entitled to messy habits. Kind of," He added as an after thought.

"Kind of?" She questioned him. He scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Well, I guess I'm technically twenty seven."

"Twenty seven?!" She stared at him in shock. He blushed.

"Yeah. But not physically. Just... mentally. I think."

Ally whistled. "You're sure hot for a twenty seven year old." Then she blushed as she realized what she said. He smirked.

"Why thank you," His egotistical side came out. She rolled her eyes and punched his arm. He faked hurt. "So what now?"

Ally looked at her watch and sighed. "I hvae to go pick up groceries before I head home, and the store is going to close soon. I guess I have to go."

"Ok," Austin said, standing up with her. As she walked to the door, the look of surprise on her face was evident as he stepped outside too, and locked the door behind him. He slung an arm over her shoulder. "You didn't think that I was going to let you go by yourself, did you?"

Ally laughed a bit, and they walked to the store. There was one not far from Austin's apartment. It was starting to get dark out as they entered. Ally grabbed a buggy, and made her way through the isles. Austin kept on trying to sneak the twinkies into her cart, and she kept giving him playful glares and putting them back.

"So. Tryouts are tomorrow before school."

"Sounds good," Austin said, failing again at another twinkie sneak attack. "What time?"

"Seven.. And don't be late," She warned. He rolled his eyes.

"Please Ally. Austin Moon is never late."

She stopped pushing the cart and quirked an eyebrow at him. "Never late huh? What about last week in English? And you came in near the end of the lesson for both History classes. And don't even get me started on-"

"OK! OK, I get you point," Austin cut off her ramble. She smiled in satisfaction as she turned back to the cart. Austin turned to one of the shelves as Ally started talking to an old lady. He picked up the package, reading the chocolate covered Twinkies ingredients. Deciding that they were legit enough, he grabbed three bags, intent on getting these ones by Ally.

But when he turned around, he dropped the bags on the floor. Ally looked at him confused, but he wasn't looking at her. His eyes were trained on the woman she was talking too.

"Are you alright?" Ally asked Austin concerned. But Austin didn't respond to her.

Instead he asked, "Mom?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Ally**

"Mom?"

Ally turned to Austin, confused. His eyes were wide, and his jaw was just about to hit the floor. Ally turned back to Mrs. Moon. She had known her since she was little, always sympathizing for the elderly woman. She had lost her only child when she was younger, and treated Ally like her own daughter.

"Austin?" Mrs. Moon whispered. Austin just nodded slowly, staring at her in shock. "My son!" Mrs. Moon cried, wrapping her arms around him, "_My son!" _She shouted, as her body was wracked with sobs. Austin cautiously wrapped his arms around her petite frame. She pulled away, and grabbed his face, which now had several tear marks rolling down it.

"Mom? It's really you?" Austin whispered shakily. Mrs. Moon nodded.

"We missed you so much!" She cried. "Where re you? Where did you go? Why did you leave?" She begged for answers. Austin hugged her again, more sure this time.

"I'm so, so sorry mom," He whispered quietly into her hair. Ally couldn't believe it. Mrs. Moon was Austin's mom. Which meant that...

"Mimi? Do you think we should get the chicken breast for ten dollars or the-"

Mr. Moon stopped short at the sight of his wife hugging a strange teenaged boy. He saw Ally, and a bit of relief flowed onto his features. "Ally, how good to see you. What's going on?" He gestured to the seen in front of them. Ally opened her mouth to answer, when Austin cut her off.

"Dad?" Austin turned his tear brimmed eyes to his father. Mr. Moon stared in bewilderment for moment, before his eyes widened with recognition.

"Austin?"

"Dad!" Austin shouted, releasing his mother and embracing his dad. rally watched Mr. Moon wrap his arms around his son hesitantly. He pulled away, running his hands through Austin's hair.

"My son," He chilled out, "Why?"

Ally could see the years of pain etched into both of the long lost parents faces. The hurt, and the betrayal. Austin hugged his father again.

"I'm so sorry dad. I, I missed you guys so much," Austin broke down in tears. Ally stared, unsure of what to do. Her was Austin Moon, bad boy and player of Marino High school, sobbing openly in public. She was about to ask them something, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see a concerned store clerk looking at her.

"I'm sorry miss, but can you take them outside? They are causing a disturbance to others.". Ally looked around, and sure enough, people were staring at them with confusion, sympathy, and mostly, annoyance.

"Of course," She smiled at the store clerk who smiled timidly before leaving. Ally walked over and touched Austin's shoulder. He looked at her, and so did both elderly Moon's.

"Um, maybe we should continue this back at your place," Ally suggested quietly to Mrs. Moon. She nodded, wiping the tears from her face.

"Good idea Ally," She whispered. "letter us go pay for our groceries first.". Both parents gave their son one last hug, before hurrying down the aisle. Mr. Moon, was holding Mrs. Moon's sobbing figure the whole way. Ally turned back to Austin who had a hollow look in his eyes now. She touched his arm gingerly.

"Let's go pay for the groceries. I know where they live."

Austin nodded absentmindedly, following Ally through the aisles like a lost puppy. She got to the register and payed for the groceries. The clerk asked her if they wanted the Twinkies. Ally looked confused for a moment, before realizing that Austin was still clutching the bag of chocolate covered Twinkies in his hand. Instead of saying no, she gently pried the from Austin's fingers and payed for them.

Ally carried both bags out of the store, Austin clutching the Twinkies once again. Ally started to walk around the block. She kept a close eye on Austin, who was walking as though he had seen z ghost. But she guessed that in some ways, he did.

"How do you know my parents?" Austin finally asked her as they stopped at a crosswalk. Ally waited until they were safely across before answering.

"They knew my mom before I was born. I used to go there all the time when I was little. After she died, they kind of were like the grandparents I never had," She admitted. Austin nodded numbly.

"I don't know what to do," He admitted. "I'm scared."

Ally smiled at him sadly, before moving both bags to her left hand, so she could grab Austin's with her right. She gave it a small squeeze.

"They love you Austin. Just be honest with them."

They walked in silence as they passed more suburban houses. Ally wasn't sure if Austin recognized the area or not, because he didn't say anything. She walked up the driveway of a familiar house, and knocked loudly. After a moment, the door swung open, revealing Mrs. Moon.

She let them in silently, and told Ally to put the groceries in her fridge. Ally obliged, then went to the living room where they sat. Mr. and Mrs. Moon was on one couch, Austin on another. She went and sat down beside him, and she noticed that he visibly relaxed. She grabbed his hand, and gave it z light squeeze of comfort.

"I'm so, so sorry that I left," Austin started, shame on his face. He couldn't meet his parents eyes. "I wish I hadn't."

The Moon's shifted uncomfortably, and Mr. Moon opened his mouth to ask Austin a question.

"Where did you two go?"

Austin swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked at Ally, who smiled at him reassuringly. He swallowed before looking at his parents again. "Have you guys heard the story of Peter Pan yet?"

They looked at each other confused, before turning back to their son. "You mean that movie that came out four years ago about the boy who never grew up?" His mom asked. Austin nodded.

"I wrote that, and sold it to Disney because I needed some money for a car a few years ago. I based it on what happened to me."

Silence.

"Son, are you saying that you're Peter Pan?" His father asked him incredulously. Ally felt bad for Austin who nodded. His father scoffed. "Do you really expect us to believe that? You ran away from home, and now your telling us some garbage? How could you do this to your mother and I?" here screamed.

Austin had started to cry. "I'm not lying!" He shouted back. His mom burst into tears.

"Why Austin, why?" She sobbed, not believing her son either. Ally held onto Austin's hand even tighter.

"_Because I loved her!"_

Everyone shut-up at Austin's outburst. His parent looked at him sadly, but Austin was in a rage, and there was no stopping him.

"And none of you cared at all! They were going to take away my best friend, and you were going to let it happen!" He sobbed. He was now standing up, tears pouring down his face. "You didn't care," He whispered. "You didn't care."

"Honey, that's not true," His mom tried to reason with him. Ally felt as though she was barging in on some personal moment. "We did care. But her parents felt that she needed more responsibility. There was nothing we could have done."

Austin slouched back onto the couch, collapsing into Ally. He ran his hand through his blond locks again, a trait that Ally realized that she had seen Mr. Moon do all the time.

"How old are you?" Mr. Moon finally asked Austin. He put his hread in his hands.

"Technically, twenty seven. Physically, seventeen" He mumbled. He heard his mom gasp.

"But how-"

"I told you," He cut her off rather harshly. "I didn't age while I was in Neverland. I left about Sven years ago after a, um, _incident. _I've been aging normally since then."

His parents didn't say anything, but instead Mrs. Moon asked, "Where have you been living?"

Austin swallowed. "I've been renting an apartment in downtown with the money I made from the manuscript. I've been attending school since I got back, and I've just forged documents saying that I live with Aunt Hilda."

"_The drunk?" _His parents stared at him in shock. He blushed but nodded.

"It was the best alias I could think of," He admitted. Mrs. Moon suddenly turned on Ally.

"How long have you known Austin for?" She demanded. Ally felt uncomfortable in the Spot light.

"Um, I had seen him around school since fifth grade, but I never really talked to him, because he was more with the populars," Ally blushed. "least week we were partnered up for a music assignment, and I've only gotten to know him recently. I swear that if I knew he was your son, I would have told you," She promised. Mrs. Moon nodded solemnly.

Ally got the feeling that the Moons still didn't really believe their son, so Ally caught Austin's eye. He sighed, but stood up. "Mom, dad, I'm not lying. I am Peter Pan."

His parents didn't say anything, but looked at him with skepticalizm. Austin closed his eyes. "I chose the name Peter, because you always used to read to me The chronicles of Narnia," Austin told his mom. Ally watched as she noticed Austin's feet were starting to rise, but the Moons didn't notice. "My favourte character who I wanted to grow up like was-"

"Peter," His mom whispered. Austin opened his eyes, and he rose three feet off the floor. His mother gasped, and his dad stared awestruck.

"All you need is a life of pixie dust," He started sadly, then turned and smiled at Ally, "And a happy thought."

Ally smiled at him and opened her mouth, but she was cut off by the front door opening. Austin immediately sunk /back to the floor, and Ally turned to see who came in. Another elderly couple walked through the doors, and Ally recognized them as the Darlings from next door.

"Hey Mike. We got your call. What was so important that-"

Mr. Darling cut off, as his eyes landed upon the blonde haired boy in the middle of the room. Ally watched as he and Mrs. Darling stared in shock.

"Austin?"

Austin smiled sheepishly and gave a small wave. "Hi Mr. and Mrs. Darling."

The couple just stared in bewilderment, until Mrs. Moon gestured for them to sit down. They did so, still staring at Austin who took his seat beside Ally again.

"How?" Mrs. Darling asked.

"I came back," Austin said a little stupidly. Ally resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Mr. Darling stood up, anger lacing his tone.

"How _dare _you corrupt my daughter and then run away. How do you have the nerve to even show your face back here?" Mr. Darling fumed. Mrs. Darling grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back down.

"George, please. Let's at least hear what Austin has to say," Her voice wobbled. Mr. Darling sat down slowly as Austin started re-explain about Neverland. Finally, Mrs. Darling couldn't take it anymore. "Where's Wendy?" She blurted out.

Ally immediately felt Austin go tense as her name was mentioned. She wished she could comfort him, but she didn't know how. "Wendy," He started slowly, searching for the right word, "Betrayed me."

"What are you talking about boy?" Mr. Darling was turning red again. Austin stood up and shouted.

"She's dead OK?"

That silenced everyone. Mr. Moon turned to his son. "Austin, are you sure of that?" He asked cautiously. Austin turned to his father.

"Of course I'm sure. I could have saved her," Austin snarled before turning back to Mr. Darling. "But I chose not to."


	7. Chapter 7

**Austin**

"You son of a-"

"George!" Mrs. Darling holds back her husband. But Austin wasn't paying attention to her. He was staring down the man he had once considered his second father.

"You don't know what she did!" He screamed, his voice raw. He was faintly aware of Ally holding him back, or at least, trying to. His vision was blurry, the warmth that ran down his cheeks was tears. He was shaking with rage.

"My innocent daughter-"

"Killed my best friend!" Austin cut Mr. Darling off. He could feel Alley's arms tense around his torso, but he didn't care. It was the truth, the truth that Austin had been hiding for far too long. "She killed Tink," He sobbed.

"Oh yes," Mr. Darling's tone was laced with venemous sarcasm. "She killed your make-believe fairy."

"Tink was not make-believe!" His voice broke as he screamed. He broke down, falling against Ally as he sobbed. The adults looked on, unsure of what to do. "She wasn't make-believe," Austin whispered.

Ally rubbed soothing circles on his back to calm him down. She dragged him back to the couch, and forced him to sit down. She used her sleeve to wipe the tears away from his cheeks as he composed himself.

"I gave up everything for her," His breathing was ragged. "And it still wasn't enough. She wanted to grow up. She wanted to leave me behind."

Saying those words aloud was like a ton of bricks hitting Austin in the chest. He had always tried to tell himself differently, and admitting the truth was like a knife, twisting and turning in his heart.

When he looked back up, Mr. Darlings cold, unbelieving eyes were trained on Austin. He shook his head slowly before turning to Mike and Mimi. "We'll be leaving now. Have a nice evening."

He got up and left the room, not looking back once at Austin. Mrs. Darling stood up slowly, hesitant. She reached forward, but stopped just as her fingertips grazed Austin's cheek. He closed his eyes, as the tear marks meandered from her eyes. She pulled her hand away, and left without a second glance, her head hanging low.

Austin sniffeled, bringing everyone back to reality just as the silence started to claim them. He shouldn't have come back. He shouldn't have.

"Austin?"

"What?" He snapped at his mother, before seeing that she was on the verge of tears. His face softened immediately. She was wringing her hands, not quite meeting his eyes.

"Well sweetheart, I was wondering," His mother hesitated, "If you were going to come home."

Home. The word reverberated in his mind. He realized just how different his home was now. But then again, it had been seventeen years. A lot can happen in that amount of time. A lot of things can change.

"Home," The word was a foreign whisper on his tongue.

"I mean, I completely understand if you don't want to, I was just unsure, because if you were we'd have to clean your room, not that that would be a burden at all, but I don't want to pressure you if-"

"Mom," He cut off his mother's rambling. She slowly met his eyes. "Can I please come home?"

At that moment, several things happened. His mother burst into tears of joy, leaning over to wrap her long lost son in a hug. His father's passive expression broke into a grin as he held out his hand to shake his sons. And Ally gave him a smile that sent courage through his veins.

"Welcome home son," Mike shook Austin's hand before pulling him into a hug. Austin didn't let him go.

"I'm sorry dad."

"There's nothing to be sorry for," The old man smiled at his son.

"I'm going to go make dinner!" Mimi stood up. She rushed to the kitchen, no doubt eager to have their first family dinner in seventeen years. Mike turned to Ally.

"Would you like to stay for dinner to?"

Austin was about to answer for her, when she said, "I'd love to, but I can't. I have to go make dinner for my father."

Austin stiffened beside Ally, he turned to her, his face dangerously calm. "No you aren't. You're not going back there Ally."

Ally looked at Austin. "I-I have to," She whispered, not quite meeting his eyes. Austin shook his head.

"No, you aren't. You are staying with me for now on, and no one is ever going to hurt you ever again, you understand me?" His voice was low and rough, but when Ally met his eyes, he could see the hope he had infused there.

"Thank you," She whispered, a small smile on her face. Austin hugged the petite brunette tight.

"So, how long have you two known each other?" Mike asked, as they sat down on the couches again. Austin wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Technically, I've known him since fifth grade," Ally started.

"But we didn't get to actually know eachother until a week ago or so. We were put together for a music project."

"You're into music?" Mike asked his son.

Austin nodded. "I learned how to play every instrument possible in Neverland. It was a way to pass the time."

Mike smiled. "You and Ally are perfect then! Alley's quite an amazing song writer."

Austin smiled at Ally. "Yeah, she really is.". He turned to his dad. "Can Ally stay here tonight please?"

Mike looked a bit surprised, but said, "Of course. Ally is welcomed here anytime. We've known her since she was a little girl," Mike smile at Ally. Ally smiled back gratefully.

"Thanks Mr. Moon."

They spent the next half an hour, just catching up on life. And for the first time in a long time, Austin felt complete. He felt happy. After Mimi's call, they all piled around the dinner table. The warm aroma of homemade spaghetti and meatballs, Austin's favourite dinner, filled the room.

As Austin spooned the delicious food onto Ally's plate, he couldn't help but notice how happy his mother was. She was definitely older, no longer the thirty three year old Austin remembered. Her blonde hair was streaked with gray, and her hands were worn from years of use. The wrinkles on her face told a story of worry, but to Austin, she had never seemed more youthful then that night at the dinner table.

As they settled down to dinner, Mimi kept squinting against the harsh light that shined on her face. The ceiling was high, and the lights were difficult to reach.

She sighed. "After dinner remind me to find a stool and move that light," She told her husband. Mike offered to switch seats with her, but both suddenly stopped. Austin had stood up and flown up to the light fixture. Using his sleeve so that he wouldn't burn himself, he angled the light away from his mom. Satisfied, he floated back down to his seat, and starting eating.

"Mike, you saw that too right?" Mimi tried whispering not so successfully to her husband.

Mike nodded. Austin smirked a little.

The meal was just as good as Austin remembered it. Not having that much money growing up, it was rare for his mom to make spaghetti and meatballs. He only ever got it on his birthday, and he always looked forward to that meal. But now as he ate it and laughed with his parents, he realized it wasn't the meal that was so good, but who he enjoyed the meals with.

"So, are you guys still working at the laundromat and mine?" Austin asked his parents. He remembered how his mother used to come home from work, her hands dry and stiff from hand washing clothes all day. He used to remember holding his fathers hands, and feeling the soot embedded into the skin.

His parents smiled sadly at him. "Austin, it's not 1993 anymore," Mimi smiled softly at her son as she ran a hand through his blonde locks. She used to do that all the time when he was little. "Laundromats are way out of buisness now."

"And Miami hasn't had a mine in over fifteen years," His father added. "A lot of things changed."

"Yeah," Austin frowned at his plate, "They sure did."

"But what matters now is that your back," Mimi's voice broke as she squeezed Austin's hand.

"Your mother and I actually own a mattress store now," His father informed him. Austin looked up surprised. He could remember how when he was little, that had always been his parents dream.

"Moon's matress kingdom," Mimi smiled at her son.

"Nice ring to it," Austin smiled back. There was silence around the table for a moment.

"So Ally, you're sleeping over tonight?" Mimi turned to her hopefully. Ally blushed.

"I don't want to impose. I understand that you just got your son back."

"Nonesense!" Mike exclaimed. "You're as much family as Austin. You can use the guest bedroom."

"Thank you," She smiled sweetly. They all helped clean up the dishes, and then Mimi told Austin that his room was still there. Grabbing Ally's hand, he climbed the old stairs that he remembered from so long ago. His feet found there own way in the dimly lit hall, and he passed pictures. He didn't recognize any of them, but looking closely he realized that they were an attempt to cover up a blank hall. A hall where pictures of himself used to hang.

He stopped at a worn bedroom door. He felt Ally squeeze his hand as he slowly opened the door.

The room looked like a blast from the past, which in a way, it was. A thick layer of dust coated it, and it felt as though no one had been into this room in a long time. It was exactly how he remembered it.

A poster advertising the launch of the space shuttle STS 72. A newspaper article dating January 8, 1996 lays open on his desk, a big box that they had received their first microwave in, announcing in big headlines the shocker that for the first time in twentyfive years no one was elected to the baseball hall of fame.

Old Marvel comics line the shelf on the far wall, and Austin could remember the hours he spent flipping through those. And his clothes. Handme downs that would fit a ten year old were scattered across the floor. It looked like a hasty cleaning job. At least, one that happened seventeen years prior.

Old posters for the Smurfs, Danger Mouse, Inspector Gadget and other old TV shows decorate the pale blue walls. Along with pictures of himslef and Wendy.

He slowly made his way over and sat down on his Gilligan's Island bed spread. The springs creaked from being used for the first time in seventeen years, and Ally sat beside him. Even with the fact that the room was from 1996, it was obvious how poor the Moon's were. All of Austin's old clothes had patches, his desk was a box for crying outloud!

He reached over and grabbed one of the three things sitting on the desk. A single, dog eared, yellow paged, cracked cover book. The ink had faded, but he could still make out the words.

"I'm sorry that it isn't cleaner sweetie," Mimi stood in the doorway. She looked around with nostalgia. "I haven't been in here since that night."

She doesn't say it, but he knows that she's referring to the night he ran away. Mimi walked in and placed a set of clean sheets on the end of the bed. She leaned over and kissed Austin's forhead.

"Goodnight honey."

"Goodnight mom."

Mimi gave a last smile to Ally, before walking out and shutting the door. Austin leaned over and opened the dark blue curtains, letting the moon light in. He stared out, immediatly seeing the second star to the right.

"What's Danger Mouse?"

Austin was broken out of his trance, and his sights fell on the perfect brunette beside him who was squinting at one of the old posters. Austin chuckled.

"Only the best secret agent in the world! It used to be one one of my favourite tv shows," He admitted. Ally smiled and looked at him.

"You really are straight from the past, aren't you?"

He whispered, and leaned closer. "Yeah, I kind of am."

His lips found hers. It was soft and sweet, a kiss like no other. Both teens were fragile and broken in their own way, both were terrified if they moved to fast they would loose eachother forever. The sparks flew over Austin's lips just as butterflies erupted in his stomach. Kissing Ally wasn't just amazing. Amazing could only wish it was amazing as kissing her.

"Thank you, Ally," He whispered against her lips. She opened her eyes, and looked at him kind of confused, pulling away slightly.

"Why?" She asked. Austin used his free hand to push a stray strand of her luscious dark hair from her face. He would always love her, even if she didn't love him. Because she had taught him that there was still a purpose in life. THat he wasn't as hopeless as he always assumed.

"For believing in me. Thank you for believing in me."


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello everybody! Yup, I'm not dead, just really lazy and dry on ideas. I really badly wanted to start a new Austin and Ally fic, but I told myself no because this one needs to be finished first. There will probably be about three or four more chapters left after this one. Thank you for all the reviews! They make me happy and guilty at the same time, because you guys are reviewing, but I take forever to post. But life is like that sometimes. Hopefully I'll post again soon. In the meantime, please check out some of my other fan fiction!**

**For those who want more Austin and Ally, I have two other stories, plus A three-shot I have just recently posted. One of them is called When the Good Girl is stuck with the Bad Boy, and pretty much Austin is stuck spending his winter break volunteering at an orphanage after an accident in which he hurts a student. And, you guessed it, Ally the goody-two-shoes, has to train him. **

**The other story is a spy one, Austin works for IMF, and him and his crew have to go to high school and blend in so that they can complete a mission. But what they don't know is that surviving Siberia is easier than high school, and trying to find their way through the ups and downs of possibly falling for the enemy. Pretty much Auslly.**

**That's it. I got some PJO and Trekky stuff too for those who are interested. And an Auslly three-shot based off of the book Go Ask Alice. Anyways, Enjoy the chapter! :-) **

**Ally**

"PANCAKES!" Austin squealed like a little girl as they walked down the stairs the next morning. Ally rolled her eyes, but hurried to the kitchen where the blond was already inhaling the food.

"Austin honey," His mom tried to reason with him, "It's just pancakes. You can slow down."

Austin blushed, but managed to get a chew in between his breaths. Ally laughed lightly. He could be so childish. No wonder why people said that Peter Pan never grew up. Austin had matured physically, but definitely not mentally.

The entire time, Ally never missed the way that Mimi stared at her son fragily, almost as though she wanted to never let him go, but she wasn't sure if he actually was there. Like a wisp of smoke that could disappear at any sudden movement.

The two finished breakfast quietly, Ally wondering the entire time what her father was going to do to her after school for not coming home the previous night. She shuddered in anticipation.

When it came time for them to leave early for the auditions, Ally could see the hesitation in the woman's eyes. Ally gave her a soft smile. "Don't worry, I'll bring him back. Even if I have to attach a weight to his feet."

The elderly woman smiled at Ally, an ad Mike hugged her tightly. "You come back too, OK?"

She nodded, and they left. They walked in silence, enjoying each other's company. The morning air was brisk, and Ally pulled her jacket tighter around her. "Are you glad you went back?"

Austin didn't respond for a long while, before eventually nodding. He didn't say anything more, and Ally didn't push him. They hurried into the school, and found their way to the back of the school auditorium. They sat in silence, watching as the teacher made her way up front.

"Good morning students," She smiled warmly. "Thank you all for coming out. We shall start with the tryouts for Peter Pan. Good luck to you all."

Ally and Austin were both handed different songs, and to her surprise, Ally's was Can You Hear Me Peter Pan. She turned to the teacher, but didn't even have to ask.

"I hope you two don't mind. The music teacher gave me the song, because he realized how perfect it would be for the musical this year."

She summoned a smile. "It's alright."

Austin had to sing Before the Dawn by Evanescence. He went up to the stage, and joined the line behind several other guys. Ally watched each of them closely, but it was obvious that Austin got the part. Ally started to fidget as the teacher called the Wendy's up. It was up to her now to make sure that she was Wendy.

Just as she started to stand up, Austin grabbed her wrist. She turned and looked at him. "Focus on me Als. I know you can do it. Just like we practiced."

Ally smiled gratefully, before getting in line behind some other girls. She closed her eyes to focus, glad that she had a song she knew so well. As the last girl got off, one who had a really good voice, Ally climbed the stage with shaking knees. She took her spot in the spot light, behind the mike. The fear started to pump through her veins, but she quanched it down. She need her mouth as the music started to play.

But when it came to time to sing, she couldn't do it. No words passed between her lips, and she started to shake with fear. The world was collapsing in on her. How did she ever think she could do this? She was faintly aware of the teacher restarting the music, but she couldn't do it. She had let Austin down.

But right before she was about to run off the stage, a familiar voice came from the blackness. "I remember the days when I was a fairy princess, in my palace."

Ally squinted into the dark, to make out Austin standing in his seat, staring at her and singing. Just meeting his hazel eyes, she felt a surge of control. She took a deep breath, and joined him, their voices soaring high into the theatre. She didn't even notice when his voice died out, leaving her voice to all it's glory. As she hit the last note perfectly, everyone broke into applause.

"Well, I must say that was the most amazing this I've ever seen," The teacher smiled. "I believe we have our Peter and Wendy!"

The others clapped, and Austin ran up and wrapped Ally in a hug. "I'm so proud of you," He whispered into her ear. She smiled and nodded as they made their way out of the theatre, as everyone else stayed to try out for the other parts.

As they walked, Ally smiled to herself. "I guess everyone is going to have to get used to me having the part."

Austin shot her a strange look. "Why?"

She shrugged. "No reason. Just that they probably aren't expecting ugly old me to have a lead in a play."

Austin stopped short, making Ally skid as well. She turned and looked back at him. "Who says you're ugly?"

She shrugged again, and continued walking. He reached her and grabbed her arm, his playful face gone. "Who, Ally?"

She let out a sigh. "Everyone. Mostly your group of friends. It's not a big deal. The truth can only hurt so much."

"What? But Ally, that's not true! You're beautiful!" He challenged. She gave him a soft smile.

"It's fine Austin. You don't have to be nice."

He shook his head. "I wasn't. I was telling the truth. Ally, you're the prettiest girl in this whole school, and don't let anyone tell you different."

She smiled a bigger smile, a warm feeling in her chest. N one had ever said she was pretty. Well, no one since her mom. "Really Austin?"

He looked at her for a moment, turmoil in his eyes. He nodded. Then he seemed to decide something. "Come on."

He led her to an old stair well, and Carried her up. She start to protest. "Austin, class is going to start any moment! We have to go!"

"We aren't going to class today. Come on.". He opened a door at the Topo, and it opened to an abandoned room, a piano gathering dust in the corner. They entered and Austin shut the door behind him.

"What is this place?" Ally asked as she took in the broken blinds, and scattered desks. Austin threw his backpack on one.

"I think it was an old classroom. I don't really know. Sometimes Wendy and I would come and visit her older brother Mal com here, and we'd sneak up here to hang out. No one seems to have come up here since."

He sat down by the piano, and Ally contemplated leaving and going to class. But instead she found herself sitting down at the piano as the bell went off. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I want us to write a song," Austin stated, grabbing Ally's songbook, and opening it to a fresh page. She didn't even protest. He scribbled some words down, before showing them to Ally.

_You made me insecure_

_Told me I wasn't good enough_

_But who are you to judge_

_When you're a diamond in the ruff_

"Austin," Ally sighed as she read the page. She turned to him, but was instead cut off by his lips meeting hers. It was soft, and he pulled away, cupping her cheek.

"Look," He stated, "People, my friends," Ally tried to stop him, but he continued, "Me," He closed his eyes in guilt, "Made you feel worthless to the point that you actually believed it. And for that I will always be sorry. But you are beautiful and talented, and you shouldn't want to be anybody else."

His words hit home, as a tear made it's way down her cheek. She smiled.

"Thank you Austin."

He grinned back. "No problem. Now, are we going to write a song?"

Ally laughed and turned back to the paper. Stared at it, her fingers making a gracious melody flow from the keyboard. She stared at the book in concentration until the right words came.

_I'm sure you got some things_

_You'd like to change about yourself_

_But when it comes to me_

Austin stole the pencil from her, and scribbled down the next line.

_I wouldn't want to be anybody else_

Simultaneously, They both started singing Na na na's whil Austin worked the base and Ally played up with the alto. Austin threw in a couple soprano notes for good measure. Ally belted out the next line, putting a smile onto Austin's face.

_I'm no beauty queen_

_I'm just beautiful me_

Austin leaned over and kissed her forehead, and sung while looking into her eyes.

_You've got every right_

_To a beautiful life_

_C'mon_

_Who says, who says you aren't perfect_

_Who says you're not worth it_

Ally smiled and took over from Austin, her stomach warm from the butterflies she felt. He really did think she was beautiful.

_Who says you're the only one that's hurting_

_Trust me_

_That's the price of beauty_

Austin stole the pencil from her, and finished the chorus.

_Who says you're not pretty_

_Who says you're not beautiful_

Ally and Austin's voice rang out in perfect harmony for the last line.

_Who says?_

Austin's voice peetered out as Ally's flawless voice filled the forgotten room, and seemed to bring the life back to it.

_It's such a funny thing_

_How nothing's funny when it's you_

_You tell them what you mean_

_But they keep whiting out the truth_

Austin's deeper voice swooped in, and cut Ally off.

_It's like a work of art_

_That never gets to see the light_

_Keep you beneath the stars_

_Won't let you touch the sky_

Ally's voice joined in and harmonized with Austin's as they sung the chorus together again. They both smiled, enraptured by the music. Ally slowed the notes, as she met Austin's eyes again.

_"Who says you're not star potential," _She sang softly to him. His eyes never wavered from hers.

"_Who says you're not presidential," _He didn't miss a beat.

_"Who says you can't be in the ,movies?" _Ally sang to him. His eyes showed the seriousness he hoped to convey.

"_Listen to me, Listen to me."_

Ally finally moved her eyes from him, focusing on the keys, but her words still ringing true. She remembered how everyone thought that Austin was another bad boy. Oh, how they had been wrong about him.

_"Who says y can't pass the test?"_

_"Who says you can't be the best?" _He sang back to her. She raised her eyes to his again, and they sang the next part together.

_Who said, who said?_

_Can you tell me who said that?_

They sang the chorus enharmonic again, both leaning into each other, the music and the rhthym pumping through them. They ended with their hands on the same note, and they smiled at each other. Ally leaned into Austin, and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her forehead.

"You should never want to be anybody else," He mumbled into her hair. "Ever."


End file.
